So the Missus and I moseyed out to the suburbs (a rare occurrence) and caught El Anatsui: When I Last Wrote to You about Africa at the Davis Museum.

It’s a knockout.

From the museum’s website:

El Anatsui (b. 1944, Ghana) is best known for his most recent sculptures, shimmeringly beautiful and elaborately wrought large-scale wall hangings made from discarded liquor-bottle tops. Drawing on traditional idioms and contemporary art practices, his work resonates materially and symbolically with the cultural and historical conditions of West Africa.

From its earliest to its most recent examples, Anatsui’s work is characterized by the complex and surprising manipulation of materials, labor-intensive methods, and a signature use of color, line and form.

A sample, although it doesn’t come close to conveying the compelling bas-relief nature of El Anatsui’s work, five decades of which is exhibited in this first career retrospective:

P.S. While you’re there, don’t miss the stunning “Snow Birds” by Anthony Angarola in the museum’s permanent collection: