Yoruba: Nine Centuries of African Art and Thought

Abstract

The fifteen million Yoruba in Nigeria and the People's Republic of Benin are heirs to one of the oldest and richest artistic traditions in Africa. The ambitious new exhibition “Yoruba: Nine Centuries of African Art and Thought,” which opened September 20 at the Center for African Art in New York City, traces the history of Yoruba art and examines its underlying cultural concepts. Organized by the Center and curated by Henry John Drewal and John Pemberton III, the exhibition presents approximately 100 objects drawn from public and private collections in Africa, Europe, and the United States. Seventeen pieces are on loan from museums in Lagos and Ife; most of these have never before been seen in this country. After closing at the Center for African Art on January 7, 1990, the exhibition will begin a national tour that includes presentations at the Art Institute of Chicago (Feb. 10-April 1, 1990); the National Museum of African Art, Washington, D.C. (May 8-Aug. 26, 1990); the Cleveland Museum of Art (Sept. 2...