African Art in Transit

In this specialized but illuminating work, Harvard-trained anthropologist Steiner analyzes the assumptions behind the work of native African art traders in Cote d'Ivoire, who serve as the link between African artists and Western collectors. He describes the trading process as not only a complex economic system but one of shifting cross-cultural exchange in which the image of Africa is continually redefined. Steiner classifies the range of sources and art objects available in the trading city of Abidjan, then describes how traders work. He analyzes different forms of bargaining (from careful negotiation with Western dealers to staged performance for tourists). More intriguingly, he argues that Western scholarship has influenced classification of art objects by ethnicity rather than by region, and observes how Africans seek authenticity in things Western, while visitors want symbols of a ``primitive'' lifestyle--as when he witnesses the barter of a mask for a Seiko watch. In the West, he notes, the practical value of African objects like baskets is ignored, while an obsession with the growing value of African art tends to negate appreciation of its beauty. Photos not seen by PW. (Dec.)