Birmingham Museum of Art

This three-story museum houses an eclectic selection of art, including Wedgewood pottery, the largest collection of Asian art in the Southeast, Native American and African art, impressionism, contemporary art and American landscapes.

Queen of Women Mask (Eze Nwanyi) Northeastern Igbo people, Nigeria (Ezza or Izzi sub-group), 2009.3

The African collection at the Birmingham Museum of Art consists of about 1,600 objects. Africa is a continent of enormous diversity, with a landmass of almost twelve million square miles, and topography ranging from desert to snow-capped mountains. The continent is home to over fifty countries, and hundreds of ethnic groups, cultures, languages, religions, and traditions. African art, in its many forms and functions, embodies this diversity. The Museum has sought to build a collection that represents all of the major regions of Africa, as well as reflecting ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity within those regions across time. The collection includes masks, figure sculpture, textiles, ceramics, household and ritual objects, jewelry, musical instruments, currencies, furniture, clothing, and costume.

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