While attending school in New York City in the 1980s, Okwui Enwezor encountered few works by African artists in exhibitions,...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
While attending school in New York City in the 1980s, Okwui Enwezor encountered few works by African artists in exhibitions, despite New York's reputation as one of the best places to view contemporary art from around the world. According to an arts journalist, later in his career as a renowned curator and art historian, Enwezor sought to remedy this deficiency, not by focusing solely on modern African artists, but by showing how their work fits into the larger context of global modern art and art history.
Which finding, if true, would most directly support the journalist's claim?
As curator of the Haus der Kunst in Munich, Germany, Enwezor organized a retrospective of Ghanaian sculptor El Anatsui's work entitled El Anatsui: Triumphant Scale, one of the largest art exhibitions devoted to a Black artist in Europe's history.
In the exhibition Postwar: Art Between the Pacific and the Atlantic, 1945-1965, Enwezor and cocurator Katy Siegel brought works by African artists such as Malangatana Ngwenya together with pieces by major figures from other countries, like US artist Andy Warhol and Mexico's David Siqueiros.
Enwezor's work as curator of the 2001 exhibition The Short Century: Independence and Liberation Movements in Africa, 1945-1994 showed how African movements for independence from European colonial powers following the Second World War profoundly influenced work by African artists of the period, such as Kamala Ibrahim Ishaq and Thomas Mukarobgwa.
Enwezor organized the exhibition In/sight: African Photographers, 1940 to the Present not to emphasize a particular aesthetic trend but to demonstrate the broad range of ways in which African artists have approached the medium of photography.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "While attending school in New York City in the 1980s, Okwui Enwezor encountered few works by African artists in exhibitions" |
|
| "despite New York's reputation as one of the best places to view contemporary art from around the world" |
|
| "According to an arts journalist, later in his career as a renowned curator and art historian, Enwezor sought to remedy this deficiency" |
|
| "not by focusing solely on modern African artists, but by showing how their work fits into the larger context of global modern art and art history" |
|
Main Point and Argument Flow
Main Point: According to a journalist, Enwezor addressed the underrepresentation of African artists not by isolating their work, but by demonstrating how it connects to broader global art movements.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes Enwezor's early experience with the absence of African art in prestigious exhibitions, then presents a journalist's perspective on how he later addressed this gap as a curator through integration rather than segregation of African artists within the global art conversation.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? Which finding would most directly support the journalist's specific claim about Enwezor's curatorial approach.
What type of answer do we need? Evidence that demonstrates Enwezor putting African artists' work into the larger context of global modern art and art history rather than focusing solely on modern African artists.
Any limiting keywords? Most directly support means we need the clearest, most relevant evidence for the journalist's claim.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The journalist claims Enwezor remedied the deficiency by showing African artists' work in the context of global art, not by focusing solely on African artists
- The correct answer should show Enwezor organizing exhibitions where:
- African artists are featured alongside non-African artists
- The work demonstrates connections to broader global art movements
- The approach integrates rather than isolates African art
- The wrong answers will likely show Enwezor focusing exclusively on African artists, or addressing African art in isolation from the global context
As curator of the Haus der Kunst in Munich, Germany, Enwezor organized a retrospective of Ghanaian sculptor El Anatsui's work entitled El Anatsui: Triumphant Scale, one of the largest art exhibitions devoted to a Black artist in Europe's history.
✗ Incorrect
- Describes a retrospective focused entirely on one African artist (El Anatsui)
- This represents exactly what the journalist says Enwezor did NOT do - focusing solely on modern African artists
In the exhibition Postwar: Art Between the Pacific and the Atlantic, 1945-1965, Enwezor and cocurator Katy Siegel brought works by African artists such as Malangatana Ngwenya together with pieces by major figures from other countries, like US artist Andy Warhol and Mexico's David Siqueiros.
✓ Correct
- Shows Enwezor bringing African artists together with major international figures like Andy Warhol from US and David Siqueiros from Mexico
- This directly demonstrates putting African work into the larger context of global modern art - exactly what the journalist claims
Enwezor's work as curator of the 2001 exhibition The Short Century: Independence and Liberation Movements in Africa, 1945-1994 showed how African movements for independence from European colonial powers following the Second World War profoundly influenced work by African artists of the period, such as Kamala Ibrahim Ishaq and Thomas Mukarobgwa.
✗ Incorrect
- Focuses on African artists in relation to African independence movements
- While it shows artistic influence, it keeps African art within an African context rather than connecting it to global art history
Enwezor organized the exhibition In/sight: African Photographers, 1940 to the Present not to emphasize a particular aesthetic trend but to demonstrate the broad range of ways in which African artists have approached the medium of photography.
✗ Incorrect
- Exhibition focuses exclusively on African photographers across different approaches
- Despite showing range within African art, it still represents focusing solely on modern African artists and doesn't demonstrate integration with global art context