The expansion of The Met's mission to present art from sub-Saharan Africa through the gift of a core collection of works given by Nelson Rockefeller was the catalyst for an influential program of special exhibitions. These have highlighted artistic achievements through major international loans from the region that address the scope and complexity of its deep and expansive history pioneered by Nigeria’s National Museums in 1980 to those recognizing its leading practitioners, such as "The Buli Master and Other Hands."