The Pathfinder Paradox: Historicizing African Art within Global Modernity

This scholarly review by Sylvester Okwunodu Ogbechie, titled "The pathfinder paradox: historicizing African art within global modernity," critically examines Chika Okeke-Agulu’s book, Postcolonial Modernism: Art and Decolonization in 20th Century Nigeria. Ogbechie praises Okeke-Agulu’s work as a valuable social history but argues it oversimplifies the complex origins of Nigerian modernism, particularly by sidelining pioneering artists like Ben Enwonwu in favor of the Zaria Art Society. The review further discusses how colonialism, Cold War politics, and Western "culture brokers" like Ulli Beier profoundly shaped the narrative and reception of modern African art, often steering it towards Euro-modernist aesthetics and away from Pan-Africanist ideals. Ogbechie contends that Postcolonial Modernism misinterprets key historical figures and movements, ultimately failing to fully account for indigenous transformations and the nuanced development of modern African art within a global context. The critique highlights the ongoing struggle to define African art history from an African-centered perspective, free from Eurocentric biases and external influences."Please comment "