In and Out of Africa

Duration: 60

Year Published: 1992

Creator: Ilisa Barbash

Format: 16mm

Color: Color

Description: Follows a Nigerian Muslim trader in African wood sculpture named Gabai Baare on his rounds of artists' shops and on a trip to the United States to market the sculptures. Shows the trader's lifestyle and values, focussing on his reasons for choosing his career and its place in his life. Discusses issues related to the trade including authenticity, the popularity of the comic Colon style, collectors' motives, fair pricing, and who can best judge quality. Demonstrates how artists can make a sculpture look old. Uses African music, documentary footage, and interviews with Baare, artists, gallery owners, collectors, a representative of Sotheby's, and merchants.