Contemporary African art is a complex subject. Much of it has been produced by formally and informally trained artists and, for the most part, under the influence of Western education and creative enterprise. Some critics have argued that Western patronage is biased against contemporary African art in favor of “traditional” art, apparently because of the latter’s impact on modern art in the early twentieth century. It is alleged that many Western critics prefer the works of the informally trained artists and often use their professional clout to foist their own agenda on the art scene, encouraging the production of a particular type of creative expression that reflects a subjective and romanticized vision of Africa. The dearth of galleries and patronage on the African continent itself has complicated the issue. The harsh realities of life in many African countries shape the works of the artists, sometimes distinguishing them from those of their compatriots who have been forced by the same circumstances to live in exile. Moreover, francophone African artists tend to respond to cultural forces that are at variance-in tempo and character-with those of their anglophone counterparts. In the northern and southern parts of the continent, religion and political ideology have...