African Masterpieces from Munich: The Staatliches Museum für Völkerkunde presents 450 selections from one of Germany’s premiere ethnographic museums whose collection of over 20,000 African objects was drawn from many sources, including the royal ethnographic collection and collections made by scientists, explorers, art lovers, and other museums. The assemblage of works in this publication is important both for its superb aesthetic quality and for the excellent documentation on its formation which began in the 17th century. The early date of many of the works provides a vision of African culture as it existed before the changes wrought by colonialism. The works presented represent a broad cross-section of sub-Saharan African styles in an impressive array of materials including wood, bronze, ivory, gold, and terra-cotta. The catalogue is arranged geographically into culture areas that share environmental, linguistic, cultural, historical, and artistic conditions: the Western Sudan, the Guinea Coast, Cameroon and Gabon, Central Africa, and Eastern and Southern Africa. Each object it discussed in terms of style, function, and historical importance.

Exhibition catalogue by Maria Kecskesi. Published and distributed by The Center for African Art,  April 1987. 432 pp. Cloth: ISBN 0-9614587-3-9, Paper: ISBN 0-9614587-5-5. LCCN: 86-24497.