African Art in The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

Works from across the African subcontinent in The Met’s collection span a fired clay figure shaped in Mali's Inner Niger Delta in the thirteenth century to the fiber creation, LES HERBES FOLLES DU VIEUX LOGIS (2022), by contemporary Malagasy innovator Joël Andrianomearisoa. Major forms of visual expression surveyed relate to traditions of portraiture, dynastic succession, generational rites of passage, ancestor veneration, healing and divination, and theatrical performance. Their authors have contributed to major social and cultural developments, including the flourishing of urban centers such as ancient Jenne, evident in devotional sculpture sponsored by its citizenry; the arrival of Islam through trans-Saharan trade reflected in decorative arts ranging from tunics to architectural design; the early embrace of Christianity by Ethiopian monarchs and their sponsorship of liturgical works; the dawn of coastal trade with Europe and the exchange of exotic presentation pieces wrought from locally sourced ivory for imported luxury materials; a transformation in representation and the development of modernism in the West; and dynamically resilient historical traditions that endure into the present day.

In addition to printed gallery labels and web labels, there are several layers of digital content, including an audio guide with contributors from across Africa, Europe, and North America, an