Africa in Focus
The scope and diversity of creative expression that has flourished across Africa from antiquity to the present is vast and cannot be adequately addressed by any survey exhibition nor by a single curatorial department. The Met’s Michael C. Rockefeller Wing houses galleries devoted to major artistic traditions from across sub-Saharan Africa encompassing artworks from the twelfth century to the recent past. In parallel the creations of artists from the African continent are found across the institution within curatorial collection areas including Egyptian Art; Greek and Roman Art; Medieval Art; Islamic Art; Musical Instruments; Photographs; Drawings and Prints; and Modern and Contemporary Art.
Current activity and future engagements
In 2016, a design process for reconceptualizing the galleries devoted to art from sub-Saharan Africa began, and these reimagined galleries will reopen in spring 2025. Since then, activities have focused on gathering new content that includes an initiative to document major cultural sites to afford greater context for the objects in the galleries through a partnership with World Monuments Fund; temporary installations that feature highlights of the collection in new relationships as seen in The African Origin of Civilization; conservation treatment and photographic documentation of works; special exhibitions that address underrecognized dimensions of Africa’s past featuring loans from the region; residencies for museum professionals; and developing new partnerships with institutions on the continent. These initiatives and the public programs that expand upon them are part of an ongoing commitment to incorporate contemporary voices and perspectives from the region in the shaping of the narratives that will be presented in the new galleries.
The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing welcomed residents for four-month and two-month residencies in 2023 and 2024.
The Met has embarked on a collaborative project with World Monuments Fund to create digital resources documenting major cultural sites of sub-Saharan Africa.
The Met’s galleries for African Art, Ancient American Art, and Oceanic Art are undergoing an exciting new renovation project which will reenvision these collections for a new generation of visitors.
A team of conservators and scientists have been investigating a selection of West African dance crests that will soon be on display.
History and past engagements
Ancient Egypt has occupied a place of central importance at the Met since its founding. Over sixty percent of its collection, encompassing artifacts that date from between 4,500 B.C. and AD 400, was acquired through excavations sanctioned by the Egyptian Antiquities Authority. The 1969 announcement by Nelson Rockefeller of the gift of his collections of non-Western art led to an expansion of the Museum campus with galleries dedicated to sub-Saharan Africa that opened to the public in 1982.
In addition to these core collections, The Met has played a leading role in researching, conserving, and presenting an influential program of special exhibitions that seek to deepen understanding of Africa’s artistic heritage.
These exhibitions have highlighted artistic achievements by recognizing its leading practitioners, as well as through major international loans from the region to address the complexity of its deep and many-layered history.
In parallel, the Museum has hosted a number of museum professionals and leaders active on the continent in an effort to foster international dialogue as part of convenings ranging from the Global Museum Leaders Seminar to African Art Residencies, to colloquia relating to The Met’s exhibition planning.
This workshop aimed to deepen the study of the Dalaʾil, including geographically less studied areas of India and China, as well as parts of the African context.
Art history has long emphasized the glories of the Byzantine Empire, but less known are the profound artistic contributions of North Africa, Egypt, Nubia, Ethiopia, and other powerful African kingdoms whose pivotal interactions with Byzantium had a lasting impact on the Mediterranean world.
The first exhibition of its kind to trace the legacy of the mighty states of the Sahel and what they produced in the visual arts.
Presenting the Kongo region's history and culture through 146 of the most inspired creations of Kongo masters.
The world-renowned Senegalese singer carries the stories of the Sahel to The Met.
Kidjo painted a musical odyssey from Africa, a fount of incomparably rich inspiration, to New York, the unique global crossroads and catalyst for her continually expanding innovative repertoire.