National Museum of African Art

Artful Animals

July 1, 2009 - July 25, 2010
Sublevel 1
Dedicated to young audiences, this exhibition explores how African artists create striking works of art using images from an array of domestic and untamed animals. On view are approximately 125 works that capture not only the physical characteristics of animals but also the many ways that animals, from spiders to leopards, act out our human shortcomings and successes. From rock art to contemporary painting, animals are used as symbols of royal arts and in masquerades for the ancestors. Many of the elements of design are derived through direct observation of the animals in their natural habitat. It is the animal's conduct and distinct behaviors that carry the messages in performances, stories, and proverbs. Themes include notions of nurturing, power, wisdom, transformation, beauty, and aggression.

Walt Disney-Tishman African Art Highlights

May 18, 2009 - Indefinitely
Sublevel 1
On view are 60 objects and 4 in the lobby from this comprehensive 525-piece collection of African art representing 20 African countries and 75 peoples and covers 5 centuries of African art, including most major styles ranging from a highly abstract Cameroon mask to a naturalistic carved wooden male figure from Madagascar. Many of the works inspired such 20th-century artists as Picasso and Juan Gris.

Catalogue: $39.95 (paper)

Ceramics at the National Museum of African Art

- Indefinitely
Sublevel 3
Drawn from the museum's extensive collection of 140 ceramic works, on view are 14 vessels representing various regions of the African continent, including five objects that have never been exhibited in the museum. The vessels are representative of master potters, primarily women who display their dexterity by hand-building a variety of vessels. A few pieces from an important group of 85 vessels from Central Africa are on display, along with a beer container from the Chewa of Malawi, a water vessel from the Yoruba of Nigeria, and water and oil containers from the Berber of Algeria.

Pavilion Sculptures (rotating)

- Indefinitely
Pavilion
Note: Objects on display in the Pavilion are rotated constantly.

The following are examples of objects that have been displayed:

• Pair of Figures (mid 20th century): Senufo peoples, Cote d'Ivoire. Wood.
• Medicine Staff (18th to 19th century): Edo peoples, Benin Kingdom, Nigeria. Iron.
• Vessel (early to late 20th century): Nsei peoples, Bamessing Chiefdom near Bamenda Grassfields region, Cameroon. Terracotta.
• Door with Lock (20th century): Nuna peoples, Burkina Faso. Wood and iron.
• Reduced Angled Spouted Black (1990): Magdalene Odundo. Ceramic.