Arts du Nigeria révisites

Without aspiring to exhaustively detail the cultural production of Nigeria across its 2000-year history, the collection at the Musée Barbier-Mueller is very rich in several respects. Faithful to chronological continuity, it provides a sample of the production of the major cultural centers of Nigeria, shedding light on archaeological pieces from Nok, Katsina, and Sokoto, works from Ife and the kingdom of Benin, and Yoruba, Ijo, and Igbo objects, as well as items from the Cross River and the Benue Valley. By virtue of their rarity, certain pieces in the collection constitute “monuments” of African art. Others, by their emblematic force, are among its great “classics.” Arts du Nigeria révisites, on view through January 17, 2016, sets out to present these remarkable objects, highlighting their aesthetic qualities while explaining, by means of the exhibition's accompanying catalogue, the ethnographic context of their production and use.

To find out more, visit the official exhibition website.

Worship fan  -  Yoruba

Head depicting a woman  -  Ife

Helmet mask  -  Igbo

Head crest  -  Afo

Images courtesy of the Musée Barbier-Mueller

The Inca Trail: The Past of the Andes

Through December 2012, a new thematic exhibition devoted to Andean cultures will be on view at the Barbier-Mueller Museum for Pre-Columbian Art. The Inca Trail is organized into two parts, the first of which deals with the indigenous cultures that preceded the establishment of the Inca Empire, the second being devoted entirely to the latter's creations. The exhibition's connecting thread is the Qhapaq Nan, or "Inca Trail," a gargantuan network of roads that linked what is now southern Colombia with northwestern Argentina and central Chile, by way of Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Ninety-eight pieces from the major cultures of this geographic area, twenty-six of which come from the Barbier-Mueller's collection, are superbly presented.

Visit the exhibition's official website.

Cup with mythological figure  -  Jama Coaque, Ecuador  -  500 BC–750 AD

Double-spouted jug  -  Chimú, Peru  -  1100–1500 AD

Stirrup-spout vessel with portrait head  -  Moche or Mochica, Peru  -  200 BC–700 AD

Standing figure  -  Chorrera, Ecuador  -  800–400 BC

Cup with male figure  -  Jama Coaque, Ecuador  -  500 BC–500 AD

Vessel with copulating couple  -  Huari, Peru  -  600–1000 AD

Stirrup-spout vessel with multiple figures  -  Moche or Mochica  -  300–1000 AD

Crown ornament depicting a mythical feline  -  Moche or Mochica, Peru  -  200 BC–700 AD

Information and images courtesy of the Musées Barbier-Mueller

Unmasking Masks at the Museé Barbier-Mueller, Geneva

Currently on view at Geneva's Barbier-Mueller Museum is Unmasking Masks, an exhibition highlighting a selection of 100 masks from a wide range of traditional cultures around the world. To this range of items––all hailing from very diverse eras––the show's curators have added carnival, occupational, and sports masks, as well as works by contemporary artists.

Visit the official website.

Information and images courtesy of the Musées Barbier-Mueller