Visionary Artists / Identifying Artists and Workshops

Why are artists’ names not always known?

The reasons we do not always have an artist’s name are varied. Sometimes, it is because the individuals who collected the works of art did not ask for such information. At other times, it is because multiple hands created the artwork or because the object was considered to be divinely created. Nevertheless, by returning to communities, carrying out careful archival research, and analyzing visual details closely, it is sometimes possible to identify an artist retroactively.

An artist who might, in some instances, be commissioned to create sacred works of art in seclusion, might also carve hair combs, heddle pulleys, and other public art forms to advertise his skill, personal style, and name. In cases where it has been impossible to ascertain an artist’s name, it has still been possible to ascribe a body of work to an individual hand or workshop, as with the sublime headrest attributed to the Master of Mulongo. In instances where we do not know specific artists’ names, the museum makes every effort to at least determine their cultural affiliation as a placeholder for the artists’ agency and identity.

Sculptors were typically men. Women were also active artists working in a range of materials across the continent. Yet, their arts are not always represented in the same numbers in international collections—perhaps a legacy of the predominance of men among earlier collectors and museum professionals.