El Anatsui (Ghanaian, born 1944), Taago (detail), 2004, aluminum and copper wire, purchase with funds from the Fred and Rita Richman Special Initiatives Endowment Fund for African Art and Joan N. Whitcomb, 2007.1.
The High Museum of Art’s African Art collection prominently features the art and material culture of West and Central African makers, reflecting the cultural, social, and visual histories of these regions from antiquity to modern day.
The collection includes traditional masks and wood-carved objects of functional and aesthetic significance, as well as fine art paintings, prints, and ceramics. The Museum made its first African acquisition in 1953, a d’mba headdress from Guinea, and the collection grew substantially over several decades due to the generous support of patrons Fred and Rita Richman.
Fred and Rita Richman Curator of African Art
Explore the African Art Collection
Nigeria
The African Art collection maintains distinction in art and cultural objects of various peoples of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Mali, with Nigeria and the Congo the most strongly represented in both quantity and range of media.
Twentieth-Century Artists
The collection notably includes art of the twentieth century representing principal art movements, clubs, schools, and collectives in modern African art history.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Stone figures, metalworks, and a rich variety of masks crafted by Kongo, Yaka, Kuba, Pende, Luba, Bembe, and Ngbandi makers reference aristocracy and political figures, fertility and femininity.
Yoruba
Yoruba cultural objects in the collection are anchored by important gifts from Bernard and Patricia Wagner. Concentrated in southwestern Nigeria, the Yoruba are one of the largest ethno-linguistic groups in the nation, with smaller populations in modern-day Benin and Togo. The collection includes examples of indigo-dyed adire textiles and intricate beadwork of Yoruba craft tradition.
Ceramics
Ceramics produced in early West African civilizations such as the Mali Empire and modern works by artists such as Ladi Kwali and Magdalene Odundo are hallmarks of the collection.
Masquerade and Performance
The collection includes masks, masquerade costumes, and traditional instruments used in both ritual and festive performances.
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