The Image of the Black in Western Art, Volume III

This volume, part of a monumental series about the depiction of black peoples in Western art history, covers the period from the Renaissance and Baroque eras into the imperialism and colonialism of the 18th century. Edited by Gates (director, W.E.B. Du Bois Inst. for African and African American Research, Harvard Univ.; Black in Latin America) and Bindman (art history, emeritus, Univ. Coll. London; Ape to Apollo: Aesthetics and the Idea of Race, 1700-1800), the book is divided into two sections based on geography: black people outside of Europe and black people in Europe. Inspired by the original research by collector Dominique de Menil (1908-97), the text, written by Jean Michel Massing (art history, Cambridge Univ.), both interprets what depictions of black individuals in art reveals about how peoples of African origin were viewed and considers how those views drove historical developments. The volume is richly illustrated with artworks from many sources in a wide variety of media. Verdict This volume and the rest of the series has inestimable value in furthering understanding of how attitudes toward issues of race have evolved and should be part of almost any library collection.-Eugene C. Burt, Seattle(c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.