Mumuye Sculpture from Nigeria: The Human Figure Reinvented

Through 41 masterworks, Mumuye Sculpture from Nigeria reveals some of the most accomplished statues made by this Nigerian tribal group. The Mumuye artists' abstract interpretation of the human body, which recalls that of cubist and expressionist artists, has been immensely appealing to African art enthusiasts. Their anthropomorphic figures demonstrate an astonishing range of variations, testifying to their makers' unbridled creativity and limitless inventiveness. Here, a meticulous analysis of the extraordinary forms of Mumuye figures--paying attention to their striking sense of motion--recognizes different workshops and even the hands of individual masters. A summary of the scant field-based studies discusses the figures' primary role as emblems of status and rank, their connections to ancestral veneration, and healing and divination practices. Though a selection of masks and other objects, this book reveals the beauty of Mumuye figurative sculpture.

Frank Herreman is former director of the Ethnographic Museum in Antwerp and former director of exhibitions and publications at the Museum for African Art in New York.

Constantine Petridis is curator of African Art at the Cleveland Museum of Art.