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Dynasty and Divinity: Ife Art in Ancient Nigeria
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On view Sunday, September 19, 2010 - Sunday, January 9, 2011 at the Audrey Jones Beck Building
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Wunmonije Compound, Ife, Head with Crown, 14th-early 15th century, copper alloy
© National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Nigeria
"Shows like this come along once in a lifetime." —Telegraph.co.uk
This major exhibition presents an in-depth view of the extraordinary corpus of ancient art from the kingdom of Ife. Astonishing works of art were made in Ife (pronounced EE-fay), located in what is now southwestern Nigeria, from the 9th to 15th centuries. Dynasty and Divinity: Ife Art in Ancient Nigeria brings to Houston more than 100 works, most never before displayed outside Nigeria.
Masterpieces include a series of 30 lifelike sculptures in copper alloy that represent Ife´s legendary past rulers, who were the forebears of the present king, or ooni, of the still-bustling modern-day metropolis of Ife. A complete royal figure, wearing beaded garments and regalia; a mask made of pure copper; and the famed Tada figure were all produced with the lost-wax metal-casting technique. Along with the world-renowned Ife terra-cotta heads—astounding in detail, sensitivity, and beauty—these sculptures have been compared to the finest portraits of the classical ancient world of Greece and Rome.
The MFAH has the distinction of being the first American venue for this exhibition, which will open in Houston just as Nigeria celebrates the 50th anniversary of its independence on October 1, 1960.
Photo courtesy Museum for African Art/Fundación Marcelino Botín (Photo: Karin L. Willis)
Dynasty and Divinity: Ife Art in Ancient Nigeria is co-organized by the Museum for African Art, New York, and Fundación Marcelino Botín, Santander, Spain, in collaboration with the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Nigeria.
The exhibition has been supported, in part, by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts, and is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and Humanities.
In Houston, generous funding is provided by:
The Wallace Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Meredith J. Long
Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P.
Mrs. Linnet F. Deily
Mr. Joseph D. Jamail
The Coneway Family Foundation
Related Events:
Creation Station: Ancient Rulers
At the Audrey Jones Beck Building
Sunday, October 31, 2010 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Gallery Investigations
At the Audrey Jones Beck Building
Sunday, October 31, 2010 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Gallery Talk: Dynasty and Divinity: Ife Art in Ancient Nigeria
At the Audrey Jones Beck Building
Thursday, October 7, 2010 7:00 PM
Thursday, October 14, 2010 7:00 PM
Thursday, October 21, 2010 7:00 PM
Thursday, October 28, 2010 7:00 PM
Gallery Talk: Spotlight on Yoruba Sculpture
At the Caroline Wiess Law Building
Thursday, September 2, 2010 7:30 PM
Thursday, September 9, 2010 7:30 PM
Thursday, September 16, 2010 7:30 PM
Thursday, September 23, 2010 7:30 PM
Thursday, September 30, 2010 7:30 PM
Gallery Talk: Yoruba Sculpture
At the Caroline Wiess Law Building
Thursday, July 15, 2010 7:00 PM
Thursday, July 22, 2010 7:00 PM
Thursday, July 29, 2010 7:00 PM
Hearst Foundation Evenings for Educators - Ancient Kingdoms: A Cross-Cultural Look at Egypt, Africa, and Peru
At the Caroline Wiess Law Building
Tuesday, September 21, 2010 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Sketching in the Galleries
At the Audrey Jones Beck Building
Sunday, October 31, 2010 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Sunday Storytime
At the Audrey Jones Beck Building
Sunday, October 31, 2010 1:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Teacher Workshop - Royalty and Spirit in African Art
At the Caroline Wiess Law Building
Saturday, September 25, 2010 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
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