African Masks: The Art of Disguise

August 22, 2010–February 13, 2011
Chilton Galleries

The African mask is a highly developed and enduring art form. African Masks: The Art of Disguise, an exhibition of approximately seventy objects from the Museum’s collections and on loan from local collectors, will reveal the function, meaning, and aesthetics of African masks. Masks serve as supports for the spirit of deities, ancestors and culture heroes, which may be personified as a human, animal, or composite. Masked performances, which are held on the occasions of thanksgiving celebrations, rites of passage, and funerals, often entertain while they teach moral lessons. This exhibition will present a variety of masks from several different sub-Saharan peoples that offer a variety of types, styles, sizes, and materials and the contexts in which they appear. Because the carved wooden mask is frequently only one part of an ensemble, full masquerade costumes will be displayed. And the masks will “come to life” in performances recorded on film and in contextual photographs.

African Masks: The Art of Disguise is organized by the Dallas Museum of Art and curated by Roslyn A. Walker, Senior Curator, The Arts of Africa, the Pacific, and the Americas, and The Margaret McDermott Curator of African Art at the Dallas Museum of Art. Dr. Walker is also the author of the newly published book The Arts of Africa, the first catalogue dedicated to exploring the Museum’s collection of nearly two thousand African objects—acclaimed as one of the top five of its kind in the United States. Commemorating the 40th anniversary of the collection, which began with a gift of more than two hundred objects from DMA benefactors Eugene and Margaret McDermott, the catalogue draws from both historical sources and contemporary research to examine over one hundred figures, masks, and other works of art representing fifty-two cultures, from Morocco to South Africa.

The exhibition is presented by the Sara Lee Foundation. The Dallas Zoo is a community partner. Air transportation provided by American Airlines. Promotional support is provided by KVIL 103.7 Lite FM, Radio Disney and Dallas Child.

The Dallas Museum of Art offers a rich array of programs for all ages and audiences inspired by African Masks: The Art of Disguise. Look for the following icon throughout the website to find related programs:

PRESS:

D Magazine – Front Row, 12/23/10

Images:

Four-faced helmet mask (ñgontang), Gabon, Ogooué River and Woleu-Ntem Province, Fang peoples, Betsi or Ntumu group, 1920–40, wood and pigment, Dallas Museum of Art, The Gustave and Franyo Schindler Collection of African Sculpture, gift of the McDermott Foundation in honor of Eugene McDermott, 1974.Sc.33

Helmet mask (gye), Côte d’Ivoire, Guro peoples, mid-20th century, wood, paint, and sheet metal, Dallas Museum of Art, The Otis and Velma Davis Dozier Fund, 1993.1

Face mask (igri), Nigeria, Igbo peoples, Ada group, mid-20th century, wood, pigment, and raffia, Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc., 1998.83.McD