The art of decolonisation : Dakar-Paris, 1950-70

A transnational and transhistorical history of the artistic, political, and diplomatic relations between France and Senegal from the 1950s to the 1970s. This book examines the strategies of decolonisation from a globalised perspective and decentres perspectives about modernism and the global turn in contemporary art. -- .

The art of decolonisation examines how artists challenged colonial legacies and reconfigured power through transnational networks of art and diplomacy. Adopting a global and transhistorical perspective, it explores artistic, political, and institutional relations between France and Senegal during decolonisation and the Cold War. From the emergence of a national modern art in Senegal to contested cultural policies and high-profile exhibitions—such as those featuring Picasso and Soulages in Dakar, or contemporary Senegalese art in Paris—this book traces the circulation of artworks, ideas, and influence across borders. It reveals how visual artists and filmmakers shaped a new artistic geopolitics between 1950 and 1970. Reconsidering the accepted chronology of the ‘global turn’, The art of decolonisation shows that the roots of global art discourse run deeper than the 1990s, and were already forming during the era of independence struggles. -- .