Images of Africa: Drawing a Global Phenomenon

Dr. Chris Spring is an artist and writer who has curated many exhibitions at the British Museum, including La Bouche du Roi (2007); A South African Landscape (2010); Social Fabric: Textiles of Eastern and Southern Africa (2013); and co-curated South Africa, Art of a Nation (2016). He had been responsible for the British Museum’s substantial and growing collection of contemporary art by artists of African heritage. His books include African Arms and Armour (1993); North African Textiles (1995) with Julie Hudson; Angaza Afrika: African Art Now (2008), (Winner the ART BOOK AWARD for 2009); African Art in Detail (2009); African Textiles Today (2012), (Winner: Choice (USA) award for outstanding academic title); African Art Close Up (2013) and South Africa, Art of a Nation (2016) with John Giblin. 

Chris Spring’s artistic practice is by no means exclusively informed by Africa and by artists of African heritage, but he will include some examples of his work which was inspired by experiences in Africa and by working with artists in different parts of the continent.  He has worked extensively in northern, eastern and southern Africa, usually in collaboration with contemporary artists. Major commissions on the behalf of the British Museum include The Tree of Life (2004) by Mozambican artists Kester, dos Santos, Nhatugueja and Maté; La Bouche du Roi (1997-2005) by Beninoise artist Romual Hazoumé, and The Moko Jumbies (2017) by British Trinidadian artist Zak Ové. He has also made extensive collections of African textiles from northern, eastern and southern Africa.