“African Mosaic” Celebrates a Decade of Collecting at the National Museum of African Art

October 28, 2010
News Release

A towering and visually striking sculpture of Haitian leader Toussaint Louverture by contemporary Senegalese artist Ousmane Sow is the centerpiece of a new exhibition of important acquisitions of the past decade at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art. “African Mosaic: Celebrating a Decade of Collecting” showcases museum purchases and gifts and provides a glimpse into the collecting opportunities and decisions that exist for art museums. The exhibition opens Nov. 19 and continues through 2011.

Sow will make a rare appearance at the museum Saturday, Nov. 20, to speak about his monumental works in general and his featured sculpture in particular, with his wife, photographer and filmmaker Béatrice Soulé.The 2 p.m. event is free and open to the public.

 “The National Museum of African Art’s permanent collection has been formed by the careful selection of curators and the generous gifts of many individuals—from art collectors and talented artists to former ambassadors and Peace Corps volunteers,” said Johnnetta Betsch Cole, director of the museum. “While this exhibition reflects how our collection has grown in the past decade, it is our hope that ‘African Mosaic’ will inspire additional donations and supporters interested in broadening the depth and breadth of the museum’s collection into the future.”

“African Mosaic” includes more than 100 traditional, contemporary, modern and popular works, some of which have never been on display at the museum. The exhibition includes everything from traditional African masks, figures, containers and jewelry to a briefcase created from discarded aluminum sheets used to make soda cans.

Highlights

Highlights of the exhibition include:

  • Toussaint Louverture et la vieille esclave (Toussaint Louverture and the elderly slave), a monumental work created by Ousmane Sow in 1989. The larger-than-life-sized sculpture was part of a series commemorating the bicentennial of the French Revolution.

  • An egungun mask costume from Nigeria that represents a dazzling variation in textures, colors and designs. The costume was donated by National Museum of African Art board chair Art U. Mbanefo in honor of the museum’s 30th anniversary.

  • Fantasy coffins in the shape of an elephant and a cell phone

  • A never-before-exhibited painting by Moké (Monsenguro Kejwamfi), a pioneer in the school of popular painting that emerged in the 1960s in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo 

  • A gold pendant, ornaments and beads from Mauritania and Ghana donated within the last few months

Public Programs

Public programs including a North African mosaic design art workshop in early 2011 will complement the exhibition. For further information, visit africa.si.edu.  

Donors

The museum is grateful to generous donors in the United States and around the world, both collectors who donate works of art and those who contribute funds that make museum acquisitions possible.

About the National Museum of African Art

The National Museum of African Art is America’s only museum dedicated to the collection, conservation, study and exhibition of traditional and contemporary African art. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., except Dec. 25. Admission is free. The museum is located at 950 Independence Avenue S.W., near the Smithsonian Metrorail station on the Blue and Orange lines. For more information, call (202) 633-4600 or visit the National Museum of African Art’s website at africa.si.edu. For general Smithsonian information, call (202) 633-1000 or TTY (202) 633-5285.

# # #

SI-468-2010


Note to Editors: Photos from “African Mosaic” may be downloaded by visiting the museum’s media website at africa.si.edu and clicking on “press room.” For further information about photos, contact  Eddie Burke at (202) 633-4660.

National Museum of African Art