Courtney-Clarke’s three-volume photographic research into the creative spirit and harsh lives of women in modern-day Africa, with a fourth volume of commentary on the acclaimed series

This collection summarizes Margaret Courtney-Clarke’s (born 1949) 15-year journey, from 1979 to 1994, across South, West and North Africa to capture the artistic traditions of rural women through photographs, sketches and written observations. Originally published in three separate books between 1986 and 1996, these photographs have been widely exhibited, becoming influential for their nuanced treatment of identities shaped by both tradition and colonization. The Art of African Women presents the books Ndebele, African Canvas and Imazighen, reedited by Courtney-Clarke and redesigned, alongside a fourth volume of writings by Maya Angelou, Geraldine Brooks, David Goldblatt and Sean O'Toole, encompassing history, politics, sociology, anthropology and art history, as well as pages from Courtney-Clarke’s travel journals, her book layouts and snapshots.