5/5 Ahmed S. 3 years ago on Google
The
National
Museum
of
African
Art
is
the
Smithsonian
Institution's
African
art
museum,
located
on
the
National
Mall
of
the
United
States
capital.
Its
collections
include
9,000
works
of
traditional
and
contemporary
African
art
from
both
Sub-Saharan
and
North
Africa,
300,000
photographs,
and
50,000
library
volumes.
It
was
the
first
institution
dedicated
to
African
art
in
the
United
States,
and
remains
the
largest
collection.
The
Washington
Post
called
the
museum
a
mainstay
in
the
international
art
world
and
the
main
venue
for
contemporary
African
art
in
the
United
States.
The
museum
was
founded
in
1964
by
a
Foreign
Service
officer
and
layman
who
bought
African
art
objects
in
Germany
and
multiple
houses
in
the
Capitol
Hill
neighborhood
in
which
to
display
them.
The
collection
focused
on
traditional
African
art
and
an
educational
mission
to
teach
black
cultural
heritage.
To
ensure
the
museum's
longevity,
the
founder
lobbied
the
national
legislature
to
adopt
the
museum
under
the
Smithsonian's
auspices.
It
joined
the
Smithsonian
in
1979
and
became
the
National
Museum
of
African
Art
two
years
later.
A
new,
mostly
underground
museum
building
was
completed
in
1987,
just
off
the
National
Mall
and
adjacent
to
other
Smithsonian
museums.
It
is
among
the
Smithsonian's
smallest
museums.
The
African
art
museum
took
a
scholarly
direction
over
the
next
twenty
years,
with
less
social
programming.
It
collected
traditional
and
contemporary
works
of
historical
importance.
Exhibitions
include
works
both
internal
and
borrowed,
and
have
ranged
from
solo
artist
to
broad,
survey
shows.
The
museum
hosts
two
to
three
temporary
exhibitions
and
ten
special
events
annually.
Reviewers
criticized
the
National
Mall
building's
architecture,
particularly
its
lack
of
natural
light.
The
museum
is
scheduled
for
remodeling
as
part
of
the
Smithsonian's
upcoming
South
Mall
project.
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