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BMA OPENS RENOVATED AND EXPANDED GALLERIES
FOR AFRICAN AND ASIAN ART ON APRIL 26
Major renovation improves and expands galleries for outstanding African and Asian art collections
BALTIMORE, MD (March 2, 2015)—The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) opens its beautifully renovated galleries
dedicated to the new presentation of its outstanding African and Asian art collections on April 26, 2015. The museum
has significantly expanded its gallery space for one of the finest collections of African art in the U.S. and a notable
collection of Asian art. The BMA is celebrating this renovation milestone during its 100th anniversary with live music,
dance performances, and art activities inspired by the African collection on April 26 and a second event for the Asian
collection on June 28.
The reinstalled African and Asian art collections occupy expanded galleries on the first floor of the museum’s
landmark neoclassical building designed by renowned American architect John Russell Pope. The renovation more
than triples the size of the previous gallery for African art and nearly doubles the size of the previous gallery for Asian
art. Higher ceilings, elegant new displays, and state-of-the-art lighting significantly enhance the experience of each
artwork. The project also includes new Go Mobile content for the African and Asian collections, a new family guide on
the African collection, and a web comic about Guanyin, the Chinese Goddess of Mercy, who is prominently featured
in the reinstallation.
“We are excited to showcase these important collections in beautiful new galleries that foster an environment of
reflection, inquiry, and engagement with the works of art,” said BMA Director Doreen Bolger. “A variety of thematic
exhibitions and installations will also provide visitors with a fresh and ever-changing experience.”
The reopening of the African and Asian art galleries mark a significant milestone in the BMA’s $28 million renovation
to provide visitors with a more welcoming environment and more imaginative encounters with art. The BMA’s
ambitious multi-year renovation has included reopenings of the contemporary wing in 2012 and the Merrick Historic
Entrance and Dorothy McIlvain Scott American Wing and Zamoiski East Entrance and East Lobby in 2014.
The BMA’s African collection reinstallation has received significant support from the National Endowment for the
Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Asian collection has received generous support from the E.
Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation. Both the African and Asian collections have received funding from the
State of Maryland and bonds approved by the City of Baltimore.
ALAN AND JANET WURTZBURGER AFRICAN ART GALLERY AND NEW INSTALLATION OF AFRICAN ART
Located on the first floor of the BMA’s historic Pope building, the new galleries for African art occupy over 4,000 sq. ft.,
more than three times the size of its former space. The expanded and renovated galleries have new casework
allowing viewing works in the round, more objects displayed individually, and higher ceilings that more effectively
suggest the scale of the artworks in their original contexts. Curated by former BMA Associate Curator for African Art
Kathryn Wysocki Gunsch (now Teel Curator of African and Oceanic Art at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston), the new
installation includes more than 80 objects, many of them large-scale. It addresses the impact of region, history, and
culture on African art traditions and encourages visitors to engage with the unique experience and cultural expression
that each object offers.
—more—
BMA African and Asian Galleries Reopenings/news release
Page 2 of 3
“Through the structural improvements of the renovation and a rethinking of our installation, the BMA’s new galleries
for African art demystify the works in this renowned collection by emphasizing the relationships between objects and
the lives of the people by and for whom the objects were made,” said Gunsch. “We look forward to sharing this
collection in a way that supports fresh connections to these incredible artworks and to the social, political, and
cultural history of the continent more broadly.”
The reinstallation is organized around three central themes:
The Artist – Ranging from ancient Egyptian objects to contemporary art, the first gallery visitors encounter emphasizes
the different types of training for African artists, such as royal workshops and studio practice. Highlights include
Commemorative Head of a King (1848-97) from the Benin Empire in Nigeria, Sande Society Helmet Mask (20th century)
created by the Nguabu Master in Sierra Leone, Asymmetrical Betu I (2010) by Magdalene Odundo, and more than 600
tiny Gold-Dust Weights (1700-1900) created by unidentified artists from the Akan region of Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire.
The Audience – Artworks created for the public setting are juxtaposed with those created for private use in order to
explore the different intentions and impact of patronage. The BMA has an extraordinary collection of 19th- and 20thcentury works created for public masquerade, most notably the Great Mother Headdress (D’mba) from the Baga region
of Guinea, Yoruba masks from Nigeria, and Kuba and Pende masks from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Artworks
created for private use include commissioned objects such as jewelry, headdresses, and objects for the home that
demonstrate conspicuous consumption, as well as sacred artworks like reliquaries and Nkisi power figures.
The Period – Artworks created from the 1950s to the present explore how African art was shaped by the political,
social, and cultural changes that affected the continent in the late 20th century. Mid- to late-20th-century modern
masquerades are represented by Dogon masks from Mali and masks of wisdom from Liberia. A Married Woman’s
Blanket Cape from the Ndebele region of South Africa and an Asafo Militia Flag from the Fante region of Ghana show
the impact of colonialism and independence.
Focus Exhibition Gallery – A new gallery for thematic exhibitions of African art debuts with Diverging Streams:
Eastern Nigerian Art, on view April 26 – November 1, 2015. Approximately 20 headdresses, masks, and costumes
from the eastern Nigerian region of Africa demonstrate the aesthetic relationships between the Igbo, Jukun, Igala,
Ogoni, Boki, Idoma, Ibibio, and Ejagham artists who lived between the Benue and Cross rivers. Most of the works are
drawn from a private collection.
JULIUS LEVY MEMORIAL GALLERY AND NEW INSTALLATION OF ASIAN ART
The BMA’s collection of Asian art will be reinstalled in two renovated galleries twice the size its former space on the
first floor of the museum’s historic Pope building. Curated by BMA Associate Curator of Asian Art Frances Klapthor,
the reopening presentation of the Asian collection focuses on 150 artworks from China with examples of ceramics,
paintings, furniture, and objects made of bronze, jade, and lacquer from the 2nd century BCE through 21st centuries.
These artworks demonstrate the innovation of Chinese artists and their impact on culture around the world.
“The two new galleries dedicated solely to Asian art provide us with the opportunity to better showcase the beauty
and strengths of this collection,” said BMA Associate Curator of Asian Art Frances Klapthor. “This reinstallation
wonderfully expands the aesthetic scope of the museum’s presentation of Asian art.”
—more—
BMA African and Asian Galleries Reopenings/news release
Page 3 of 3
The north gallery presents a thematic survey of the BMA’s renowned Chinese high-fired ceramics representing 2,000
years of innovation—from white stoneware of the 9th and 10th centuries to imaginative monochromatic works
created in the 17th through 19th centuries. All of these objects were made for the home and used to store or prepare
food, serve meals, drink wine or tea, practice calligraphy or painting, or decorate the study or family altar. Among the
highlights are an exceptionally beautiful 15th-century Ming dynasty Brush Washer, a 13th-century Song dynasty blackglazed Wine Jar with Resist Decoration, and a 17th-century Zun-shaped Vase Decorated with Figural Scenes. The
installation will also feature a recent gift of an 18th-century Serving Plate composed of 12 dishes that fit together in
the form of a flower that was made for the 60th birthday of China’s Kangxi Emperor.
The south gallery will be focused on the importance of the temple and the tomb in Chinese artistic tradition through
the presentation of mortuary wares, objects, and images related to China’s Taoist, Confucian, and Buddhist spiritual
traditions. Particularly notable works in the collection are the 15th-century life-sized bronze Water-Moon Guanyin, a
large 15th-century Cizhou Storage Jar, and a magnificent early 8th-century Figure of a Striding Camel.
Go Mobile
In conjunction with the African and Asian collection gallery reopenings, the BMA is adding new content to Go Mobile,
the museum’s free mobile guide designed to provide visitors with content-rich experiences and additional points of
entry through audio and video interviews with artists, curators, conservators, and scholars. Accessible through a
website optimized for visitors’ mobile devices or through iPod Touches available free-of-charge at the museum, users
will be able to explore 35 objects from the BMA’s African and Asian art collections through multiple navigation
options, including the ability to search by artist or culture. BMA Go Mobile also includes 50 objects from the American
art collection and 32 objects from the contemporary art collection.
PROJECT ARCHITECT: Ziger/Snead Architects
Ziger/Snead Architects has provided original design solutions and superior service for public and private clients in the
Baltimore region and beyond for more than 28 years. Their expertise includes work for academic campuses, cultural
institutions, non-profit headquarters and community centers, religious spaces, urban redevelopment and mixed-use
projects, and custom residential design. Previous projects include the Maryland Historical Society, Frederick DouglassIsaac Myers Maritime Park and Museum, and the Brown Center at the Maryland Institute College of Art with Charles
Brickbauer.
ABOUT THE BALTIMORE MUSEUM OF ART
The Baltimore Museum of Art is home to an internationally renowned collection of 19th-century, modern, and
contemporary art. Founded in 1914 with a single painting, the BMA today has 90,000 works of art—including the largest
holding of works by Henri Matisse in the world. The BMA has a long tradition of collecting art of the day, beginning with
the Cone sisters, whose avid acquisitions from living artists signaled the museum’s commitment to collecting
contemporary art. Throughout the museum, visitors will find an outstanding selection of European and American fine
and decorative arts, prints and drawings from the 15th century to the present, works by established and emerging
contemporary artists, and objects from Africa, Asia, the Ancient Americas, and Pacific Islands. The museum is located in
a park-like setting in the heart of Charles Village and adjacent to the main campus of The Johns Hopkins University. The
BMA’s 10-building complex encompasses 210,000 square feet and is distinguished by a grand historic building designed
in the 1920s by renowned American architect John Russell Pope. Two beautifully landscaped gardens display an array of
20th-century sculpture that is an oasis in the city. Since 2006, the BMA has provided general admission so that everyone
can enjoy the power of art.
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