The CAAC came into being at a time when non-Western contemporary art was largely ignored on the international scene.
It was founded shortly after the seminal exhibition The Magicians of the Earth at the Pompidou Center in Paris, curated by Jean-Huber Martin.
It was the first truly international exhibition where contemporary works from all over the world were shown on an equal footing.
[1] The CAAC includes several thousand artworks, featuring sculptures, drawings, photographs, installations and videos, by more than 80 artists, living and working in sub-Saharan African countries.
Others were "self-taught" and some are from remote areas and work within local traditions that they extend and enrich.