EXHIBITION CLOSING
AFRICA & BYZANTIUM
003 SPECIAL EXHIBITION HALL
THE KELVIN AND ELEANOR SMITH FOUNDATION EXHIBITION HALL
CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART, OHIO
SUNDAY, APRIL 14–SUNDAY, JULY 21, 2024
Man's Crown, 400s–500s CE. X-Group (Ballana) Culture, Nubia, Ballana (Sudan). Silver, gemstones (including garnet, carnelian), and paste stones (glass); 20 x 15 cm (7 7/8 x 5 7/8 in.). Egyptian Museum, Cairo, 70455. © DeA Picture Library / S. Vannini / Art Resource, NY
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.
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.
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.
For more information, https://www.clevelandart.org/exhibitions/africa-byzantium