Dan culture
Liberia or Côte d’Ivoire
Mask, c. 1920
Wood
The Robert J. Ulrich Works of Art Purchase Fund 2009.31

This mask is the oldest in the exhibition. Its age is revealed by the appearance of the wood, the rich surface crust, and the necessity of ‘replacement holes’ along the edges to which the costume used to be attached. The holes on the snout held a piece of fur, which would have intensified the animal-like look of the mask.

Masks from the West-African Dan People

Saturday, June 12, 2010—Sunday, November 28, 2010
Gallery 261a
Free Exhibition

Masks are the most important art form of the Dan, who live on either side of the border between Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire. This installation includes eight masks, from the MIA and from two local collectors.

This exhibition is the first of a series of small-scale experimental installations that will inform the redesign of the African galleries and will incorporate technological innovations.

Listen to Gaston Gueria discuss the dreaming and making of masks in Dan culture. (1:10)




Listen to a few dreams that visitors have recorded:

Dream #1:

Dream #2: