African Art Affinity Group

The vast continent of Africa is home to many peoples, societies, and civilizations, each with unique forms of aesthetic expression. Dramatic abstraction—particularly of the human figure—is often associated with African art, whose radical aesthetic exerted enormous influence on European artists in the first half of the 20th century.

Mia’s collection of sub-Saharan art began in the 1950s with a magnificent Luba mask and two ancient Benin sculptures. It has grown steadily ever since and now includes Ethiopian paintings, Moroccan silver jewelry, central African textiles, a 600-year-old Djenne horse-and-rider, and many other outstanding artworks.