What constitutes African Modernism? Modernism, in Moxey’s terms is the artistic partner of modernity (2009:1). Willette defines ‘Modern’ as essentially a Western notion, based upon cultural influences specific to European countries and transplanted to their colonies. Sixteenth century Europe gave rise to new ideas and new ways of living in the world.Modernism according to the Oxford Dictionary of Modern and Contemporary art constitutes a number of features from a relative devaluation of tradition and traditional skills to a declaration of independence from state and academy in favour of the open market to an extreme artistic individualism, including artists attempt to be of their own time. In the late 19th century European Christian missionaries introduced a western style of education into Africa. Western school subjects including reading, writing, mathematics and manual skills such as sewing, woodwork, embroidery, tapestry, woodcarving and drawing were introduced. The artists who emerged from these schools often worked in the late modernist styles.These styles were often based on a reinterpretation of the early modernist engagement with African historical arts, and were consequently criticised by Westerners as being out of touch with the avant garde. So the work of African artist in the mid-20th century was never referred to as modern, because the term was exclusively reserved for artists from European origin. Furthermore most of the art made by rural Africans were conceived of as ‘crafts’ rather than art, and often promoted as ‘primitive’ and therefore more ‘authentically’ African than the art of urban artists.It is therefore impossible to categorise African artists according to the Western system but equally difficult to classify what is really ‘African’ and a number of variables exist.