African Art and Religion Exhibition At the Carlos Museum Explores Protection, Health and Healing

Michael C. Carlos Museum presents “Divine Intervention: African Art and Religion” on view from February 5 through December 4, 2011. “Divine Intervention: African Art and Religion,” drawn from the Carlos Museum’s rich collection of African art, with select loans from private collections, illustrates a traditional African belief that works of art function as a bridge between the human and divine worlds. The exhibition features over 50 works from over twenty African cultures including shrine sculptures, masks, divination instruments, and body adornments.

The works in “Divine Intervention” illustrate the active nature of African art, in which works of art are not passive representations of gods, deities, ancestors, or spirits, but rather agents of communication between the divine and earthly realms for the purpose of addressing fundamental human concerns regarding physical health, psychological well being, and social harmony.

For more information, visit the Michael C. Carlos Museum.