In 2007, an American curator of African art (trained as an anthropologist) referred to a particular African object as a "missing link" with reference to surrounding cultures and sculptural styles. More recently, a German art dealer referred to another African object as a "missing link" that apparently explains stylistic differences between artist "A" and "B." I'm concerned that this form of interpretation is reductive, and suggests a linear mode of development in a life where things are much more complex, and yes, maybe even "rhizomatic." I suppose I may have answered my own question here with a nod to Deleuze and Guattari, but I would appreciate further recommendations.