Although Franz Boas–one of the most influential anthropologists of the twentieth century–is best known for his voluminous writings on cultural, physical, and linguistic anthropology, he is also recognized for breaking new ground in the study of so-called primitive art. His writings on art have major historical value because they embody a profound change in art history.Nineteenth-century scholars assumed that all art lay on a continuum from primitive to advanced: artworks of all nonliterate...
