Sakimatwemtwe: A Century of Reflection on the Arts of Africa

Now at the Brooklyn Museum, **“Sakimatwemtwe: A Century of Reflection on the Arts of Africa”** traces how African art has been collected, interpreted, and displayed over the last hundred years. The exhibition reads the museum itself as part of the story, placing objects alongside the ideas and institutions that shaped their reception in New York. It carries particular weight in NYC, where museum narratives have long influenced what the public understands as “African art.” One clear takeaway is that the show favors context over spectacle, asking viewers to reckon with history as much as form.