African art by region

Africa has fifty-four countries and thousands of peoples and languages, and its art is as varied as its geography. These pages introduce the art history of each of the continent's five broad regions — from the rock art and ancient kingdoms to the modern movements and contemporary artists — and list every article on this site from that part of Africa.

The groupings are conventional rather than official: in this guide Sudan sits with North Africa, Angola with Central Africa, and Mozambique and Zimbabwe with Southern Africa. For a single continuous story, read our short history of African art.