Land of the Flying Masks: Art & Culture in Burkina Faso. The Thomas G.B. Wheelock Collection

Roy, Christopher; Wheelock, Thomas. Land of the Flying Masks: Art & Culture in Burkina Faso; Prestel Books, 2007.

The Thomas Wheelock Collection is the largest private assemblage of works of Burkina Faso art in the world. Now accessible to the public for the first time, this book reveals the country’s enormous artistic range. Featured here are examples of the intricate and brightly colored masks for which Burkina Faso is best known, and which are used throughout the country in traditional ceremonies and celebrations. The collection also contains a multitude of other ceremonial objects such as costumes, dance ornaments, statues, instruments and pieces of jewelry as well as beautifully crafted everyday items including spoons, pots, baskets, stools and chairs. The pieces in this marvelously panoramic collection reflect a country rich in cultural diversity, tradition, and artistry.

Thomas Wheelock has traveled and collected extensively in Burkina Faso for more than thirty years, and assembled the world’s leading private collection of art from this West African country.

472 pages, 1,075 color illustrations.