Drawn from the collection of the Royal Museum of Central Africa art in Tervuren, Belgium and from collections in the U.S., this exhibition explores connections between the art and culture of the Kongo peoples of western Central Africa and African American art and culture in the United States. The exhibition addresses cultural and artistic themes beginning with the ancient Kongo kingdom that encompassed parts of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Republic of the Congo and Gabon. Themes include the arts of leadership, religion, and daily life interpreted within historical, archaeological, linguistic, musicological, anthropological and art historical contexts.
Wooden Grave Figure
Early 20th Century
Yombe peoples
Collection RMCA Tervuren. Photo J. Van de Vyver , RMCA Tervuren (c)
Staff Finial
17th-18th Century
Kongo peoples
Collection RMCA Tervuren. Photo J.-M. Vandyck , RMCA Tervuren (c)
Anthropomorphic Power Figure
19th Century
Yombe peoples
Collection RMCA Tervuren. Photo R. Asselberghs, RMCA Tervuren (c)
Memory Jar
Mixed Media
High Museum of Art
Ndunga Mask
20th Century
Woyo peoples
Collection RMCA Tervuren. Photo R. Asselberghs, RMCA Tervuren (c)
Two Figures, Lemba Couple
Late 19th Century
Yombe peoples
Collection RMCA Tervuren, Photo J. Van de Vyver, RMCA Tervuren (c)
Ivory Scepter
19th Century
Kongo peoples
Ivory
Collection RMCA Tervuren, Photo J. Van de Vyver, RMCA Tervuren (c)
Kongo Across The Waters
On View February 27, 2015 – May 25, 2015 New Orleans, LA- Opening February 27, 2015 at the New Orleans Museum of Art, the exhibition Kongo across the Waters explores the connections between the art and civilization of the African Kongo peoples with that of African American art and culture in the United States. The… Read More
Kongo Across The Waters: The Connection Of Africa To New Orleans
By Sharon Litwin | NolaVie This article originally appeared here Kongo Across the Waters, an exhibition currently at the New Orleans Museum of Art, explores the connections between the art and civilization of the African Kongo people with that of African American art and culture in the United States. History informs us that the first… Read More
Kongo Treasures Link New Orleans To Ancestors ‘Across The Waters’
by Chris Waddington, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune This article originally appeared here Africa dwells in New Orleans. You can taste it in our gumbo, dance to it during second-lines, and hear it when the city’s drummers gather at Congo Square. Starting Friday (Feb. 27), you also can explore those African connections in a nationally touring… Read More
African Art Is The Attraction At NOMA’s ‘Kongo Across The Waters’ Opening Reception
By Sue Strachan, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune This article originally appeared here Exploring the connections between the art and culture of the Kongo peoples of western Central Africa and African-Americans in the U.S., “Kongo Across the Waters” exhibition at New Orleans Museum of Art features more than 160 works from collections and museums from around… Read More
NOMA Opens Kongo Across The Waters
by Claude Robichaux | NOLA Defender This article originally appeared here New Orleans prides herself on the fusion of cultures that combined to build the city we now know. One of the most commonly cited example of those evolutions is jazz’s origins in Congo Square. The New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA)’s new installation, Kongo:… Read More
Sponsors / Partners
Kongo across the Waters is organized by the Harn Museum of Art at the University of Florida and the Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium. The New Orleans presentation of this exhibition is sponsored by the City of New Orleans, The New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau, Chevron and Whitney Bank. Additional support has been provided by Adams and Reese LLP and the Consulate General of the Kingdom of Belgium in Atlanta.