A Perfect Power: Motherhood and African Art

Across central Africa’s matrilineal belt, the most important artworks were those that depicted the female body. In these 19th and early 20th century communities, group identity and familial responsibility flowed through the maternal line.

From monumental headdresses of elderly mothers to sculptures that represent mythic female ancestors, A Perfect Power brings together nearly 40 objects from public and private collections to demonstrate how artists have represented the power of African mothers and used maternal imagery to signal moral, cultural, and spiritual authority.