Art and Oracle: African Art and Rituals of Divination

A Metropolitan Museum of Art Publication In many of sub-Saharan Africa's culturally diverse societies, divination rituals-and the creative forms of expression designed to advance these quests-continue to profoundly influence decisions that affect the future. The catalogue for an exhibition organized by the Rietberg Museum in Zurich and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, this publication marks the first time many of the classic icons of African art history have been considered as the products of a common source of inspiration, enabling the reader to appreciate the complex relationship between artistic imagination and ritual power.

Exploring such divinatory systems as those of the Azande, Luba, Yaka, Yoruba, and Malagasy, Art and Oracle takes a cross-cultural look at 200 works, 50 pictured in full color, from the world's premier collections of African art, considering them both for their artistry and as mediums through which divine insights may be revealed.

50 illustrations in full color, 8 1/2 x 11" ALISA LAGAMMA is assistant curator in the Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. JOHN PEMBERTON III is professor emeritus of African religion at Amherst College.

EXHIBITION SCHEDULE The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New YorkApr. 26-July 30, 2000