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232

porary.

The Influence of Contemporary African Art on the Works of Afro-Americans

In the previous discussion of Lawrence and Twins Seven-Seven we mentioned that both artists seem to listen to their own muse. However, over the past few years there is evidence that contemporary African artists have influenced Afro-American art. The contemporary African artist most influential for Afro-American art is Skunder Bogohassian. Skunder's work was first shown in the United States in 1962 at the Merton Simpson Gallery in New York. Since that time, it has been widely exhibited in this country and in Europe. In 1966 he came to live in the United States and soon thereafter taught at the Center for Black Art, then directed by A. B. and Karen Spelman in Atlanta.  Presently he is artist-in-residence at Howard University, a post he has held since 1970. In Twilight Braves (Fig. 55) Skunder combines traditional African sculptural forms with Ethiopian Coptic icons. Employing rhythmical lines defining forms and symbols from many African groups, he synthesizes the Coptic and traditional African expression.

Skunder's influence may also be seen in the previously cited works of Ben Jones, a New Jersey artist who has translated his images into scintillating areas of color that flatten out the figurative forms. In Five Black Face