Surface Tensions: Empire, Parisian Modernism and "Authenticity" in African Sculpture (original) (raw)

This article examines the historical framing of "primitive art" through the lens of interwar Parisian modernism and colonial dynamics, analyzing the constructed authenticity of African sculpture. It argues that the perception of authenticity has evolved alongside Eurocentric narratives, impacting both aesthetic appreciation and cultural identity. The article also highlights the ambivalence surrounding these developments, particularly in relation to the ongoing cultural implications in contemporary art and the critique of colonial legacies.