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National Museum of African Art

 
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National Museum of African Art
 
 
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The National Museum of African Art is a museum
Museum

A museum is a "permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment, for the purposes of education, study, and entertainment", as defined by the International Coun...
 that is part of the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its Financial endowment, contributions, and profits from its shops and its magazine....
 in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the Capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790....
. Located on the National Mall
National Mall

The National Mall is an open-area national park in downtown Washington, D.C., the Capital of the United States. Officially termed by the National Park Service the National Mall & Memorial Parks, the term commonly includes the areas that are officially part of West Potomac Park and Constitution Gardens to the west, and often is taken to...
, the museum specializes in African art
African art

African art constitutes one of the most diverse legacies on earth. Though many casual observers tend to generalize "traditional" African art, the continent is full of peoples, societies, and civilizations, each with a unique visual special culture....
 and culture
Culture of Africa

The Culture of Africa encompasses and includes all cultures which were ever in the continent of Africa.The main division is between North Africa , which is part of the Islamic world, and Sub-Saharan Africa, which is in turn divided into a great number of ethnic and tribal cultures....
. It was established as a private museum in 1964, and officially became a part of the Smithsonian Institution in August 1979.

The museum's main entrance is situated off the gardens in front of the Smithsonian Castle on Independence Avenue Southwest. Like the Freer Gallery of Art
Freer Gallery of Art

The Freer Gallery of Art is the Smithsonian Institution's museum of East Asian art, including art from East Asia , South Asia , and southeast Asia, as well as American art....
 and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery is a art gallery of Asian art located in Washington, DC, United States, part of the Smithsonian Institution. The Sackler is one of two galleries of the National Museum of Asian Art, the other being the Freer Gallery....
, the National Museum of African Art is an underground museum.






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The National Museum of African Art is a museum
Museum

A museum is a "permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment, for the purposes of education, study, and entertainment", as defined by the International Coun...
 that is part of the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its Financial endowment, contributions, and profits from its shops and its magazine....
 in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the Capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790....
. Located on the National Mall
National Mall

The National Mall is an open-area national park in downtown Washington, D.C., the Capital of the United States. Officially termed by the National Park Service the National Mall & Memorial Parks, the term commonly includes the areas that are officially part of West Potomac Park and Constitution Gardens to the west, and often is taken to...
, the museum specializes in African art
African art

African art constitutes one of the most diverse legacies on earth. Though many casual observers tend to generalize "traditional" African art, the continent is full of peoples, societies, and civilizations, each with a unique visual special culture....
 and culture
Culture of Africa

The Culture of Africa encompasses and includes all cultures which were ever in the continent of Africa.The main division is between North Africa , which is part of the Islamic world, and Sub-Saharan Africa, which is in turn divided into a great number of ethnic and tribal cultures....
. It was established as a private museum in 1964, and officially became a part of the Smithsonian Institution in August 1979.

The museum's main entrance is situated off the gardens in front of the Smithsonian Castle on Independence Avenue Southwest. Like the Freer Gallery of Art
Freer Gallery of Art

The Freer Gallery of Art is the Smithsonian Institution's museum of East Asian art, including art from East Asia , South Asia , and southeast Asia, as well as American art....
 and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery is a art gallery of Asian art located in Washington, DC, United States, part of the Smithsonian Institution. The Sackler is one of two galleries of the National Museum of Asian Art, the other being the Freer Gallery....
, the National Museum of African Art is an underground museum. It connects directly to the Sackler Gallery via a subterranean passageway. This site is often confused with the Museum for African Art
Museum for African Art

File:Wikist aces 0033.jpgThe Museum for African Art is located in the neighborhood of Long Island City in the borough of Queens in New York City ....
 in New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
.

History

The roots of the museum date back to a chance purchase of a $15 carving of the Yoruba people
Yoruba people

Yoruba people are one of the largest ethno-linguistic group or ethnic groups in west Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language ....
 by Warren M. Robbins
Warren M. Robbins

Warren Murray Robbins was an United States art collector, whose collection of African art led to the formation of the National Museum of African Art at the Smithsonian Institution....
 in Hamburg
Hamburg

Hamburg is the second-largest city in Germany , and is the Largest cities of the European Union by population within city limits. The city is home to approximately 1.8 million people, while the Hamburg metropolitan area has more than 4.3 million inhabitants....
, Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 in the early 1960s. Robbins purchased another 32 pieces of African art a year later, and brought his collection with him when he returned to the United States, putting them on display at his home in Washington, D.C. After a newspaper article was published about his collection, visitors started appearing at the door and were welcomed in to view the works.

In 1963, Robbins purchased half of a home at 316-18 A Street Northeast that had been the residence of abolitionist Frederick Douglass from 1871 to 1877. When it opened in May 1964, it was the first museum in the United States dedicated to African art exclusively. The Frederick Douglass Institute of Negro Arts and History was established in 1966. In succeeding years, Robbins raised money to acquire the remaining half of the Douglass house, naming it the Museum of African Art. As the collection grew, he purchased adjoining residences, with his museum ultimately including nine townhouses, 16 garages and two carriage houses.

In 1979, Congress agreed to have the Smithsonian Institution assume management of the collection. Robbins served as the museum's first director, remaining in the position until 1983 when he was named founding director emeritus and a Smithsonian senior scholar, and replaced as director by Sylvia H. Williams. The museum was relocated from its Capitol Hill
Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.

File:Aerial view of the Capitol Hill.jpgCapitol Hill, aside from being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington D.C., stretching easterly in front of the U.S....
 townhouse to the National Mall
National Mall

The National Mall is an open-area national park in downtown Washington, D.C., the Capital of the United States. Officially termed by the National Park Service the National Mall & Memorial Parks, the term commonly includes the areas that are officially part of West Potomac Park and Constitution Gardens to the west, and often is taken to...
 in 1987 and renamed the National Museum of African Art.

Sources