<Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section does not cite any sources . Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (June 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> European architecture was strongly influenced by African art . Pioneers like Antonio Sant'Elia, Le Corbusier, Pier Luigi Nervi, Theo van Doesburg and Erich Mendelsohn were also sculptors and painters . During the 1950s, European architects transformed buildings into big - scale sculptures, replacing unnecessary decoration (so criticized by Adolf Loos), by integrating textured murals and large bas - reliefs in walls . During the 1960s, African art influenced Brutalism, both in language and symbolism, particularly in the late Le Corbusier, Oscar Niemeyer and Paul Rudolph . The powerful work of John Lautner reminds of artifacts from the Yoruba; the sensual projects of Patricio Pouchulu honour the bare wooden sculptures of the Dogon and Baoulé . Unlike Europe, African art never established boundaries between body art, painting, sculpture and architecture; thanks to this, Western architects can now extend towards different art expressions . </P> <P> Traditional art describes the most popular and studied forms of African art which are typically found in museum collections . </P> <P> Wooden masks, which might either be of human, animal or mythical creatures, are one of the most commonly found forms of art in western Africa . In their original contexts, ceremonial masks are used for celebrations, initiations, crop harvesting, and war preparation . The masks are worn by a chosen or initiated dancer . During the mask ceremony the dancer goes into deep trance, and during this state of mind he "communicates" with his ancestors . The masks can be worn in three different ways: vertically covering the face: as helmets, encasing the entire head, and as crest, resting upon the head, which was commonly covered by material as part of the disguise . African masks often represent a spirit and it is strongly believed that the spirit of the ancestors possesses the wearer . Most African masks are made with wood, and can be decorated with: Ivory, animal hair, plant fibers (such as raffia), pigments (like kaolin), stones, and semi-precious gems also are included in the masks . </P>

The bamana of mali are especially noted for their headdresses which are made to look like antelope