A Metropolitan Museum of Art Publication
In many of sub-Saharan Africa's culturally diverse societies, divination
rituals-and the creative forms of expression designed to advance these
quests-continue to profoundly influence decisions that affect the future.
The catalogue for an exhibition organized by the Rietberg Museum in Zurich
and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, this publication marks the
first time many of the classic icons of African art history have been
considered as the products of a common source of inspiration, enabling the
reader to appreciate the complex relationship between artistic imagination
and ritual power.
Exploring such divinatory systems as those of the Azande, Luba, Yaka,
Yoruba, and Malagasy, Art and Oracle takes a cross-cultural look at 200
works, 50 pictured in full color, from the world's premier collections of
African art, considering them both for their artistry and as mediums through
which divine insights may be revealed.
