America's first well-known school of painting—the Hudson River School—appeared in 1820. As with music and literature, this development was delayed until artists perceived that the New World offered subjects unique to itself; in this case the westward expansion of settlement brought the transcendent beauty of frontier landscapes to painters' attention.

At the start of the twentieth century, artists like Picasso, Matisse and Modigliani became aware of, and inspired by, African art. Africa is home to a great and thriving contemporary art culture. Traditional art describes the most popular and studied forms of African art which are typically found in museum collections.

The arts and material culture of the African continent constitute one of the most diverse and innovative artistic legacies on the planet. Though many casual observers tend to generalize "traditional" African art, the continent is actually full of a multitude of peoples, societies, and civilizations, each with a unique visual culture.