The Nok culture of northern Nigeria, a civilization that existed from approximately 500 B.C. to about 500 A.D., is principally known for its terracotta figures. Relatively little is known about the purpose of these figures or the civilization that created such extraordinary sculptural representations of its people. A few of the remarkable characteristics that distinguish Nok pieces from terracottas of later cultures in Nigeria include the triangular, pierced eyes; the elaborate coiffure and beard; and the placement of the ears. This work depicts a person of high status wearing elaborate beaded jewelry, and with a crooked baton on his right arm and a hinged flail on the left. These are symbols of authority also found in ancient Egyptian depictions of the Pharaohs and the god Osiris. The Nok culture existed during the late Pharonic period and intra-African trading could have spread Egyptian influences into many other parts of Africa.

Important works of art from African cultures have been part of our museum since the 1950s. The collection has grown over the decades to include hundreds of objects that represent the long history and extraordinary cultural diversity of this huge continent. Now, through a generous grant of $1 million from the McKnight Foundation, we are able to present this impressive collection of African art in its own gallery.

To help visitors understand basic concepts about African cultural and religious traditions and the role art plays in them, we have developed a variety of educational tools, including new labels and thematic panels with maps and photographs of objects in their original contexts. At an interactive computer-learning center, guests can see and hear performances of masks being danced in village ceremonies and scenes of African kings in royal court proceedings. An audio tour and an ongoing series of public programs funded by an endowment created by the McKnight Foundation's grant will complement these imaginative discovery aids. The endowment ensures that the museum can always support programs such as lectures, tours, music, dance, storytelling, and other African cultural arts. The program also features activities designed to serve Minnesota's African-American community.

The Institute's collection is anchored by a distinguished group of works dating from around 500 B.C. to around A.D. 1400 that shows the ancient roots of the African sculptural traditions. Our earliest example is the imposing terra-cotta figure of a seated man from the Nok culture in present-day Nigeria. His formal, contemplative pose and the crooked staff and three-part flail decorating his arms associate him with the world of pharaonic Egypt, which was still flourishing when the Nok figure was created. Our new gallery of ancient Egyptian art is now adjacent to the African Galleries to emphasize the enduring geographical and historical ties between these two regions.

Another example of early African art is the magnificent portrait head of a royal female from the Nigerian culture of Ife; it was made about a thousand years after the Nok figure (around A.D. 1400-1600) and exemplifies the skills of the African artist in creating realistic images of sensitivity and refinement. The great Djenne wooden equestrian figure (around A.D. 1200-1400) embodies the themes of kingship and social order. This central element of the collection continues with royal objects from Benin, including a large carved ivory tusk, and a bronze leopard, both from the 17th century, and a 19th-century bronze portrait head of an oba, or king. This section also features new acquisitions that we haven't previously been able to show because of space constraints. Some of these exciting new works include a 19th-century Asante king's throne from Ghana, a Yoruba palace door from Nigeria, and a collection of iron ritual blades from central Africa. Other works throughout the galleries represent various media and techniques mastered by African artists, including wood carving, metalwork, ceramics, textiles, beadwork, and painting.

Another large area of the galleries is devoted to masks and public performance. Masks exhibited with their full costumes demonstrate to visitors how these carved objects are part of a larger, socially complex ritual system. Explanatory labels with photographs of masks in use and programs on our interactive learning center enhance this display.

Other major thematic areas include a section on religious and spiritual power; it features several sculptures of mothers holding children and a striking group of male and female sculptures that express many aspects of sacred and temporal power.

Contrasted with these very specialized objects are works of art used in everyday life, such as ceramics that range from a pair of portrait vessels from the Mangbetu in northern Congo to a beautifully abstract jar made by the Zulu in South Africa. The display also includes such utilitarian objects as combs, boxes, headrests, and spoons that are artfully designed, fabricated, and decorated.

The galleries also house works created for divination ceremonies and other sculptures used in funerary events and as reminders of the continuing presence and power of ancestors in everyday life. We also present examples of contemporary African art that are born from the creative spirit that continues to distinguish the diverse artistic traditions of the peoples of the African continent.

A new space for the display of textiles, costumes, jewelry, and other decorative arts from north African countries is adjacent to the gallery containing ancient Egyptian art and the one containing objects from sub-Saharan Africa. For the first time, we can share with our public these beautiful works that our curator, Lotus Stack, has been collecting in Morocco for years.

The new African Galleries represent a major milestone in the history of our museum. Thanks to the outstanding support of the McKnight Foundation and the generosity of many collectors and donors, the Institute is finally able to present a permanent display of African arts that we can all be proud of. Now and in the years to come, we and our children can learn about—and from—some of the world's great cultures by visiting this remarkable community resource.

Evan M. Maurer is Director and CEO of the Institute and curator of African, Oceania and the Americas.

Related ImagesNigeria, Ife city
Shrine Head, 12th-14th century
Terra-cotta
The John R. Van Derlip Fund

Yombe
Democratic Republic of Congo
Maternity Figure, 20th century
Wood, Vegetable fiber, canine teeth, and pigments
The John R. Van Derlip Fund

Benin
Nigeria
Leopard, 17th century
Bronze
Miscellaneous Works of Art Fund

Nok
Eastern Nigeria, Jos Plateau
Seated Dignitary, about 250 B.C.
Terra-cotta
The John R. Van Derlip Fund

Never let it be said that The Minneapolis Institute of Arts is static! A constant source of excitement at the museum is its mandate to seek out and acquire world-class works of art. The decision to add each new piece to the collection begins with the desire to give the museum visitor a point of entry into a particular time, place, and unique aesthetic experience. Thoughtfully collected and displayed, these objects provide a deep, rich understanding of the wider world, its history, and its people. The intellectual development of collections is always challenging, but often the more formidable task is finding the specific work of art that meets various stringent criteria. The actual physical search, which is always affected by marketplace availability and often requires years of patient effort, covers art galleries, public auctions, and private collections. Ultimately, donor support plays a crucial role in acquiring superior works and enhancing our superb collection.Here are a few recently acquired objects that enable our museum visitors to experience the incomparable excellence of artistic expression. Decorative Arts
English
Table with Etruscan Decoration, 1872
Olive wood, inlay of green and black ebony and ivory
Designed by Alexander Eugène Prignot
Manufactured by Jackson and Graham, London
Gift of the Decorative Arts Council and The Ethel Morrison Van Derlip FundBeginning with the opening of London's first Crystal Palace in 1851, important pieces of furniture were made not with particular clients in mind but, rather, to garner awards for the maker at international exhibitions of art and industry, based on technical and artistic merit. For example, this Anglo-Etruscan center table was made by the distinguished London cabinet-making firm of Jackson and Graham from designs by Alexander Eugène Prignot, a Parisian, for display at the London International Exhibition of 1872. Prints and Drawings
James Jacques Joseph Tissot
French
The Comtesse d'Yanville and Her Children, about 1895
Pastel
Gift of Ruth and Bruce DaytonDuring the 1880s and 1890s, the painter James Jacques Joseph Tissot received numerous portrait commissions from aristocratic, fashionable sitters. He executed these portraits in the medium of pastel, which had returned to fashion after nearly a century of neglect. This large-scale society portrait represents the Comtesse d'Yanville surrounded (clockwise) by her children; Nicole, Simone, Isaure, and Daniel. Tissot's pastel technique brilliantly conveys the sumptuous textures and vivid colors of the costumes and furnishings of the Belle Époque. The two above-mentioned objects will be on view in the 19th century galleries, set to open this summer. Photography
Edward S. Curtis
American, 1868-1952
Horse Capture-Atsina, 1908
From "The North American Indian" series
Photogravure
The Mr. and Mrs. Bernard M. Granum Fund
(See cover photo)There are more than 100 of Curtis's photogravures in the Institute's collection, but few are of this size and none equals the quality and presence of this magnificent image. Curtis's lifelong project of photographing the North American Indian began in 1896; the results were originally published in 20 volumes, between 1907 and 1930. No other photographic project conducted in the United States has ever equaled it in terms of scope, duration, or consistency of purpose. Horse Capture-Atsina is on view in our new American West Galleries as a featured object. Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
Nok People
Nigeria, Africa
Seated Dignitary, about 250 B.C.
Terra-cotta
The John R. Van Derlip FundThis rare terra-cotta male figure comes from the Nok culture of northern Nigeria, a civilization that existed from approximately 500 B.C. to about A.D. 500. Seated in a pose typical of many Nok male figures, this piece depicts a person of high status with a crooked baton on one arm and a hinged flail on the other, implements also found in ancient Egyptian depictions of the pharaohs and the god Osiris. The Nok figure is an especially important accession for the Institute because it is nearly intact; most objects recovered from the Nok area are merely heads and other small fragments broken off of larger figures. This figure is on view in the African Galleries. Asian Art
Cambodia, Angkor period, Bayon style
Prajnaparamita (Goddess of Transcendent Wisdom), about 1200
Gray sandstone
The John R. Van Derlip FundThe long, rich history of Cambodian art is embodied in the monumental stone sculptures and temple architecture of Angkor. This superb late 12th-century sandstone image of Prajnaparamita, the Buddhist goddess of transcendent wisdom, is recognizable by the seated Buddha at the base of her conical crown. With her eyes closed in cosmic meditation, she expresses the supreme bliss that comes from perfect wisdom. This image is associated with a small group of Bayon-style statues that supposedly represent Queen Jayarajadevi, the first wife of King Jayavarman VII (reign 1181-1218). According to legend, when the queen died prematurely, her older sister, Indradevi, commissioned statues of her in the guise of Prajnaparamita. This object is on view in the Asian galleries. Textiles
Helena Hernmarck, born 1941
Stockholm, Sweden, now living in the United States
Glimpse, 1974
Wool and cotton
The Adele Roller Fund and gift of Mr. and Mrs. Myron T. Kerr, Jr. For centuries, tapestries were an important part of the European artistic tradition, but by the end of the 19th century, the form had fallen from favor. Only fairly recently has interest in this medium been revived, and a major figure in this resurgence of enthusiasm is Helena Hernmarck. After training in Europe and working in London, in the mid-1970s, Hernmarck moved her studio to the United States. She continues to be actively involved in the international art world, doing private commissions, public installations, and museum exhibitions. The acquisition of this 11-foot tapestry, which depicts an aerial view of a small American town, not only increases the Institute's tapestry holdings but also contributes a new dimension to our growing collection of 20th-century textile art. This piece is part of a rotating display of 20th-century art in the museum's east wing, second floor galleries. Lotus Stack is chair of the Curatorial Division and Textile Curator.

The MIA's Seated Dignitary depicts a complete male figure seated on a stool with his chin resting on his forearm.

You can view the docent manual entry with the ArtsConnectEd image viewer or download the PDF file to your computer.  Use the Prev/Next buttons to move between the images of the PDF and the actual file.