"An indispensable part of the history of the skills and ideas of mankind."?Scientific American.The art of the Fang, the BaTeke, the BaKota, and other African peoples is extraordinarily vigorous and shows a brilliant sense of form. The substantial aesthetic impact that their works have had on the development of twentieth-century Western art?on Picasso, Derain, Braque, and Modigliani, among others?continues to this day. This classic study reveals the astonishing variety and expressive power of the art of a continent that contains more distinct peoples and cultures than any other.