African Art at the State Museum of Ethnology Munich
Permanent Exhibition

Work in progress

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In 19th century Europe, African works of art were still seen, at best, as curiosities. It was the German explorer Leo Frobenius, who at the end of the century was one of the first to recognise the aesthetic appeal of African wood-carvings. His discovery was closely followed by that of the artists of the avant-garde. In Munich, for example, Kandinsky, Macke and Marc were regular visitors to the Völkerkunde-Museum (Museum of Ethnology) and were clearly inspired by the African exhibits. It took several decades before the exceptional creations of traditional African art were able to find their place in the Western world of art. Now, at last, they are given full respect in their own right on the global stage. The excellent craftmanship of the artists is highly admired and the innovative design, often achieved through the abstraction and reduction of form, gives rise to great fascination.

However, besides their aesthetic value, these works of art also had social and magical functions within their culture. In the choice of exhibits, care was taken to cover those themes which the artists themselves considered important: woman and man/ couples/ motherhood/ initiation of boys and girls/ rule, aristocracy and priesthood/ deities, spirits of nature and of the ancestors/ oracle instruments and bearers of magical power/ animals and hybrid beings/ decorative art.

The variety of expression within each individual theme confirms the need to replace the outmoded picture of 'tribal art' with a conception of excellence produced by outstanding artists, their workshops and centres of art.This exhibition and its catalogue hopes to pay tribute to the many artists, both known and unknown.

There is a common belief that African art consists largely of sculptures. The exhibition also includes articles of everyday use which derive great aesthetic effect through their ingenious forms and impressive decoration.

The exhibition contains 230 objects ranging from large sculptures to miniatures, some of which are new acquisitions and have never before been on display. All are part of the splendid collection of the African department of the museum. A coloured catalogue (Prestel) is available for € 25,- plus postage.

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