Exhibition Tour—Arts of Africa | Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

Join Alisa LaGamma, Ceil and Michael E. Pulitzer Curator for African Art and Curator in Charge of The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, and assistant curator Jenny Peruski, along with Max Hollein, Marina Kellen French Director and CEO, and special guests Manthia Diawara and Angélique Kidjo to celebrate the renovation and reopening of the Arts of Africa galleries in the Michael C. Rockefeller Wing. In this new chapter, the Arts of Africa galleries foreground the creativity of artists across the subcontinent, shifting the narrative to focus on artworks within their original contexts and as masterpieces in their own right. The reinstallation celebrates the authorship of recognized masters, from renowned sculptor Ọlọ́wẹ̀ of Ìsẹ̀ (ca. 1873–1938) to contemporary photographer Seydou Keïta (ca. 1921–2001). As part of this new presentation, Afro-Portuguese ivories are positioned at the threshold to adjacent European galleries, and a traditional Kente cloth sits across from a contemporary sculptural tapestry, placing these artworks in visual dialogue with each other across time and space. This reintroduction of the Arts of Africa galleries highlights that these historical traditions are enduring but also dynamic, distinctive but interconnected, and a continuing source of inspiration for artists and visitors today. Learn more about the new galleries at Production Credits: Video by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and SandenWolff, Inc. Douglas Hegley, Chief Digital Officer Sarah Wambold, Executive Producer Mandy Kritzeck, Managing Producer Erin Stella, Studio Manager Hannah Chen, Associate Producer Malvika Dang, Production Assistant Jonathan Sanden, Director Noah Therrien, Producer Jonathan Sanden and Hannah Kaylor, Story Editors Jonathan Sanden, Noah Therrien, Nate Reininga, Camera Thomas Lange, Assistant Camera Hannah Kaylor and Stephen Parnigoni, Editors Music courtesy of Jamendo, Premium Beat, and Pond5 “Cheikhna Demba” by Toumani Diabaté with Ballake Sissoko, from the album New Ancient Strings, courtesy Reservoir Media Management and BMG. Archival: Image © The Metropolitan Museum of Art 1982 Performance by Angélique Kidjo filmed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in May 2025. Super-8 sound film by Henry John Drewal. Filmed in Nigeria and the Republic of Benin in spring 1971. Subscribe for new content from The Met: #TheMet #Art #TheMetropolitanMuseumofArt #Museum © 2025 The Metropolitan Museum of Art