Constructing African Art Histories for the Lagoons of Côte d'Ivoire

Constructing African Art Histories for the Lagoons of Cote d'Ivoire. By Monica BIackmun Visona. Burlington, VT, and Farnam, Surrey: Ashgate, 2010. Pp. xiii, 201; maps, charts, photographs, bibliography, index. $99.95. Written a quarter of a century after receiving her Ph.D. in the history of art, Monica BIackmun Visona' s "Constructing African Art Histories for the Lagoons of Cote d'Ivoire," combines the high energy of early research that included extensive work in Africa with a mature reflection based on years spent teaching, writing, and continuing research during a time when the theoretical frameworks for topics in African studies and art history were changing. The result is a palimpsest of a book, with intersecting layers of experience and theory providing a multi-textured view of the arts, the author herself, and changeespecially in the way we understand "art" since what we carry to Africa in our cultural baggage has changed, or in today's terminology, our paradigms have shifted. In Visona' s exploration of the artworks of the Lagoon cultures, she not only takes the time to reflect upon the validity of western art historical discourse to frame the study of the art of other cultures, but also provides a review of the scholarly work critiquing this approach and a trenchant synopsis of the arguments. She then looks at the way multiple disciplines (geography, linguistics, history, archaeology, anthropology, and such spin-offs as visual culture) have intersected in her own work. She goes on to describe her research methods- the review of the literature and archival material, discussions with art merchants and collectors, and field work- and then to deconstruct them, observing errors made, paths not taken, and new perspectives. In the body of the book, Visona addresses first the figurai sculpture that attracted her to this area, then arts of leadership and prestige (incorporating commentary on theories of wealth and commodification), and finally the richness of age-set festivals seen through the lens of Performance Studies. A final chapter addresses the ironies surrounding the parallels linking the reception of late nineteenth century and early twentieth century African art works in the West to the reception of European art by Africans as well as how this has evolved in the postmodem moment- with the dramatic and voluptuous female statuary of Emile Guebehi as a case study. Looking at the figures that have been documented in Western collections since the late nineteenth century, Visona notes that local artists and patrons experience them quite differently from Western connoisseurs, resulting in distinctive historical narratives. The former engage with the statuary as part of their religious practice; the latter respond to them on the basis of aesthetic impact and style. …