Exhibitions

Spectacular Display: The Art of Nkanu Initiation Rituals

December 16, 2001 – March 3, 2002

National Museum of African Art
950 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC

Sublevel 2

See on Map Floor Plan

In this exhibition, the first ever dedicated to art of the Nkanu peoples of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a set of five, polychromed wall panels recently acquired by the museum are featured. These panels are exhibited with other panels, figural sculptures, and masks on loan from major European collections. The exhibition explores the range of artistic forms that were created for men's initiation rites and the artistic and cultural meanings associated with their production and display.

Catalogue