Surface Tensions: Empire, Parisian Modernism, and "Authenticity" in African Sculpture, 1917-1939.

The article discusses the interpretation of African sculpture as part of the genre of primitive art in France between World War I and World War II. Particular focus is given to how French colonialism and the dominance of Paris, France as the center of the global art world during this period influenced French perceptions regarding the significance of African sculpture. Other topics explored include definitions of aesthetic modernism, art critiques regarding the concept of primitivism, and literature on material culture studies.