New edition, revised and updated. Surveys 248 of the finest examples of masks from the Barbier-Mueller Collection, of which 100 are reproduced in full page colour. Leading scholars on Afrcan art describe the masks' historical and religious functions, and their symbolic significance. Index, 287pp, GERMANY. PRESTEL.

Pictorial introduction to African masks. Col illus, 28pp, 285 x 245mm, GERMANY & USA. PRESTEL.

Maske is a Haitian creole word, meaning to wear a mask the wearing of masks being the subject of Galembo's dark and thrilling photographs, showing masquerade performers in Nigeria, Benin, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Zambia and Haiti. Photographs of carnival characters, mostly rooted in African religion and spirituality, are presented in chapters organised by tribal or carnival tradition each introduced by a short text by Galembo about the characters and costumes portrayed. The art of masquerade is introduced by art historian Chika Okeke-Agulu, (himself a participant in masquerade events during his childhood in Nigeria). 208pp, UK. CHRIS BOOT.

An authoritative and comprehensive discussion of African masks. Includes 264 b/w photographs illustrating the text. Bib, 247pp, USA. DOVER.

Based on an exhibition of 180 masks - more than 100 from the outstanding collection at the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren, Belgium - and works by contemporary African artists, this book offers a new interpretation of the mask as the universal object that both hides and reveals. It presents masks organized by their usage, the dances, and rituals they serve and the belief system they display. 304pp, ITALY. FIVE CONTINENTS EDITIONS.

Over 150 images of African masks from the world's leading museums and private collections, representing a diversity and an aesthetic power drawn from more than thirty countries. The masks featured here are shown in full-page reproductions. Commentaries offer background information about the function and origins of the masks use within the ethnic groups from which they originate. A full-colour fold-out map places each mask in its original site. 185pp, GERMANY. PRESTEL.