Even as it imports important artworks from international and U.S. institutions, such as those showcased in its current major exhibitions from the Louvre in Paris and Wyoming’s Buffalo Bill Center of the West, the High Museum of Art continues to grow its 13,000-plus piece permanent collection.
Showcasing additions to its African art holdings, the High has announced that it will present the exhibit "African Mask/Masquerade: More Than Meets the Eye" from Jan. 25 through June 1.
The 17 works from western and central Africa, dating from the late 19th and 20th centuries, detail the diversity of creative expression of African masquerade performances. Fifteen masks will be featured, one presented as part of a full costume, as well as tunics made with feathers and porcupine quills.
To demonstrate how the masks were utilized, the exhibit will include large photos of these performances involving music, song and dance, and a short video accompanying a fully costumed Mossi mask from Burkina Faso.
In addition to 15 works from the museum’s collection, the exhibition features two loans: a hunter/warrior tunic made of porcupine quills from the collection of Atlanta fiber artist Jon Eric Riis; and a 2-foot-tall Suku mask, “Kakuungu,” from the Royal Museum of Central Africa in Tervuren, Belgium.
"African Mask/Masquerade" is part of Africa Atlanta 2014 (www.africaatlanta.org), a yearlong series of events highlighting the city as a nexus for reinventing the cultural and economic bonds among Africa, Europe and the Americas.
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