The Arts of Global Africa collection ranks among the nation’s earliest and most comprehensive, reflecting the rich diversity of artistic creativity on the continent and its global reach, both past and present.
Notable for its embrace of the entire continent and inclusion of historical as well as modern and contemporary art, the collection dates to 1917. It comprises some 7000 objects of various forms such as masks and figural statuary, objects of domestic use, dress and adornment, sculpture, photography, paintings, and new media. The museum has been at the forefront of American museums in its collecting and exhibiting arts of Africa with unique strengths, including arts of North Africa, textiles, Yoruba art, and modern and contemporary art.
