Africa & Byzantium Special Exhibition Preview Cleveland Museum of Art April 10, 2024 On view April 14 - July 21, 2024
Three centuries after the pharaohs of ancient Egypt ended their rule, new African rulers built empires in the northern and eastern regions of that continent. Spanning from the Empire of Aksum in present-day Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Yemen to the Christian kingdoms of Nubia in present-day Sudan, these complex civilizations cultivated economic, political, and cultural relationships with one another.
The Byzantine Empire (Byzantium)-inheritor of the Roman Empire-also took part in these artistic and cultural networks as it expanded its footprint in northern Africa. Together, these great civilizations created their own unique arts while also building a shared visual culture across the regions linked by the Mediterranean and Red Seas, the Nile River, and the Sahara Desert.
The new exhibition at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Africa & Byzantium, considers the complex artistic relationships between northern and eastern African Christian kingdoms and the Byzantine Empire from the fourth century CE and beyond. The first international loan exhibition to treat this subject, the show includes more than 160 works of secular and sacred art from across geographies and faiths, including large-scale frescoes, mosaics, and luxury goods such as metalwork, jewelry, panel paintings, architectural elements, textiles, and illuminated manuscripts.
Diptych with Twelve Apostles and Saint Paul, c. 1700 - Ethiopia
Lent from collections in Africa, Europe, and North America, many works have never been exhibited in the US. Most were made by African artists or imported to the continent at the request of the powerful rulers of precolonial kingdoms and empires. The art and faith of these historical kingdoms-including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam-resonate with many worldwide today.
The exhibition is organized by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Cleveland Museum of Art and is on view from Sunday, April 14, through Sunday, July 21, 2024, in the Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation Exhibition Hall. See more details (times, tickets, etc.) about the exhibit.
In a preview to the exhibit, Dr. Kristen Windmuller-Luna, curator of African art at the CMA, welcomed the crowd and introduced honored guests and lenders who gave their remarks.
Dr. Kristen Windmuller-Luna
The speakers came from and represented the
Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt, National Heritage Institute (Tunisia) and Sacred Monastery of Saint Catherine located at the foot of Mount Sinai.
Head of Delegation of the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt, Dr. Aiman Ashmawy Ali Ashmawy
Director General Dr. Tarek Baccouche from the National Heritage Institute of Tunisia
The Very Reverend Archimandrite Porphyrios Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine, Sinai and translator
Watch a video of the speeches.
Note: As we always tell you, Africa is a huge continent; currently made up of 54 countries. So how can an exhibit be called "Africa and Byzantium" when only part of Africa is covered? Historically, the Romans and later the Byzantines called only a small portion of the continent along the northern coast "Africa." This exhibition and its title reflects that historical understanding of geography.
Map - Africa and Byzantium
Here are some fun numbers about the Africa & Byzantium exhibition.
2000 Years of African creativity showcased
330 CE The year Emperor Ezana of the Aksumite Empire (Ethiopia/Eritrea) became Christian and converted his Empire (even before the Roman Empire!)
160 + Objects in the exhibition (including large-scale frescoes, mosaics, and luxury goods such as metalwork, jewelry, panel paintings, architectural elements, textiles, and illuminated manuscripts)
45 Globally-based authors contributing to the exhibition publication
5 Number of present-day northern and eastern African countries whose faith, history, and arts are represented in the exhibition (Ethiopia, Eritrea, Tunisia, Sudan, Egypt)
4 African written languages featured (Ge'ez, Old Nubian, Coptic, Arabic)
3 Continents where lending institutions to the exhibition are based (Africa, North America, Europe). First-ever loans from Tunisia, first from Egypt in 30 years.
2 Museums organizing the exhibition (Cleveland Museum of Art + Metropolitan Museum of Art)
1 Opportunity in a lifetime to see this unprecedented international loan exhibition
One of my favorite parts of the exhibition is a Cleveland connection. The CMA's presentation is bolstered by loans from two local religious communities, reflecting years of community collaboration that powerfully demonstrates the contemporary relevance of the exhibition's topic today.
"Our work with local religious communities has been very meaningful," said Curator Windmuller-Luna. "We are grateful for their willingness to tell their stories and loan their precious artworks to us. To share these Greater Clevelanders' vivid perspectives, we have placed Community Voice labels throughout the exhibition, offering a firsthand glimpse of artworks' personal significance. We have also included Community Voice videos in this exhibition, a first for the CMA."
I liked seeing people I recognize and know, like ClevelandPeople.com's Muslim Ambassador Ramez Islambouli, as Community Voices.
Another nice touch is the display of "Contemporary Faith and Heritage Communities in Greater Cleveland." I've visited most of those sites.
St Mark Coptic Orthodox Church
St Mary Ethiopian Orthodox Church
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church
The Temple-Tifereth Israel
Uqbah Mosque Foundation
As a map enthusiast, I enjoyed the maps and timelines showing the empires as they changed over time.
Of course, it is the historic art that is the main draw such as these incredible pieces.
Virgin and Child, flanked by Angels and Sts George and Theodore Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine, Sinai
Mosaic of a Menorah from Tunisia
Man's Crown, 400s-500s CE. Nubia, Ballana (Sudan)
Triptych with the Virgin and Child the Archangels Michael and Gabriel Saints and Scenes from the Life of Christ Late 1600s. Empire of Ethiopia
Special Note: We did a Fun with Maps episode on Byzantium in honor of this wonderful exhibit. Besides a lot of maps, the episode includes some live footage from the exhibit space.
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