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The Pavilion
of Pre-Columbian Art, inaugurated in 1979, contains the important
collection of pre-Columbian art which was donated to the Museum in
1978, and the Galleries of Oceanian, African and North-American Art,
whichwere inaugurated a year later. The Pre-Columbian collection covers
archaeological findings from the Mesoamerican (Mexico and Central
America) and Andean (South America, with special emphasis on Peru)
civilizations priorto the arrival of Columbus and later Cortes and
Pizzaro. The collection covers many of the artistic developments in
these very diverse groups over a considerable time span (these civilizations
date roughly from 1500B.C.E. until shortly after 1500 C.E., i.e.,
a life-span of some thirty centuries). The special design of the permanent
exhibit, which has earned many compliments, makes use of stages covered
with wooden tiles that constitute an organic base on which the terracotta
sculptures rest naturally. This design principle has also been used
in the impressive display of Oceanian, African and Indian art from
North America where too, because of the nature of the exhibits, it
was important to preserve the free and natural effect. The display
contains rare and important exhibits: masks of great importance and
sculptures of the highest standard. With the aid of guides from the
Youth Wing, many children learn here about these distant civilizations
and satisfy their curiosity about how the boomerang works and about
the symbolic meaning of the African mask.
Crested Helmet Mask (Tatanua)
New Ireland, Melanesia
Wood, barkcloth, fiber,
lime plaster, paint, operculum shell
Height: 38 cm
(15 in)
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Seated Male Figure
Las Remojadas style, Veracruz, Mexico
Late Classic Period, 600-900 AD
Terracotta
Height: 64 cm (25.25 in) |
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False-Face Mask
Iroquois, Woodlands area, Northeastern America
Wood, horsehair, metal
Height: 25 cm
(9.75 in) |
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Fantastic Ceramic Figure
Esmeraldes, Northwest Equador
La Tolita Culture, 1-500 AD
Unslipped grey clay
Height: 59 cm (23.25 in) |
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