African Textiles
By Duncan Clarke, Vanessa Drake Moraga, and Sarah Fee; Foreword by MabatNgoup Ly Dumas
This magnificent book conveys the amazing diversity of African textiles, from the geometric-patterned kente cloths of Ghana, to the multicolor raffia skirts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the beaded barkcloths once reserved for Ugandan royalty. The African continent is home to numerous outstanding textile traditions, many dating to antiquity and all playing a multifaceted role in their respective societies. Written by leading experts in the field, the authoritative text is illustrated with over 300 superlative textiles beautifully reproduced to allow the reader to appreciate each individual fiber. A landmark volume on one of the world’s major art forms, this book is published in homage to the master African textile artists of the past, and to provide a design resource for new generations of artists and textile workers worldwide.
Retail Price: $150
Details: Hardcover, 448 pages, 13.375” x 10.25”
Publisher: Abbeville Press
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Duncan Clarke is a textile dealer and has written numerous books and articles on African textiles, most recently African Textiles: The Karun Thakar Collection.
Vanessa Drake Moraga is an independent scholar, textile dealer, and author of Weaving Abstraction: Kuba Textiles and the Woven Art of Central Africa.
Sarah Fee is a curator of global fashion and textiles at Royal Ontario Museum, and has authored many articles on Malagasy textiles.
MabatNgoup Ly Dumas textile collector and multitalented artist, is one of the queen mothers of Western Cameroon. To highlight African textile creativity and to bring recognition to their intrinsic value, she developed her fashion brand Ly Dumas (1990–2003) and organized events such as Les magiciens du fil for UNESCO (1999) and Ly Dumas and Friends, a fashion show during the “Boubou C’est Chic” exhibition in 2002 at Musée National des Arts Africains et Océaniens in Paris. During the same year, in Bangoulap, Cameroon, she established the Fondation Jean-Félicien Gacha, an NGO dedicated to supporting education, handicrafts, social initiatives, the environment, and solidarity tourism. She has authored Perles couleurs d’Afrique (ed. Gourcuff Gradenigo) and Ndop: Etoffes des cours royales et sociétés secretes du Cameroun.