Africa

The African art collection encompasses approximately 500 works of art, with a comprehensive selection of figurative art from sub-Saharan Africa. Works in the collection are selected for their aesthetic merit and cultural significance. Approximately 70 objects are currently on display in the gallery. Collection strengths include fine quality figures and masks from the Bamana and Dogon peoples of Mali, the Fang and Tsogo of Gabon, and the Luba and Yaka of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Other significant holdings include a large collection of metal, leather, and basketry work from the Tuareg of northern Africa, South African beadwork and wooden art objects, and items of body ornamentation from the Himba and Herero of Namibia and Botswana.

Phyllis Wattis Curator of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

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Helmet mask
20th century

Figure
18th-20th century

Female Figure (blolo bla)
20th century

Figure (butti)
19th-20th century

Mask (Sachihongo)
20th century

Harp in Form of a Standing Figure (ngombi)
20th century

Female Figure from a Bwiti Shrine
20th century

Memory Board (lukasa)
20th century