• London's best museums and galleries for African art and history

  • By Time Out editors

  • The British Museum is undoubtedly a must-see for anyone looking to discover centuries-old artefacts and art from Africa. But be sure to make time for the rest of the capital's museums and galleries housing the continent's rich history and culture

    London's best museums and galleries for African art and history

    'London, Sugar & Slavery' at the Museum in Docklands

  • African Contemporary Art Gallery
    The African Contemporary Art Gallery is based in Lisbon – but access to information on international African artists is available on its site.
    www.africancontemporary.com

    Black Cultural Archives and Gallery
    The BCA is currently cataloguing its collections and oral histories of black residents in Lambeth.
    Black Cultural Archives, Othello Close, SE11 (020 7582 8516/www.bcaheritage.org.uk) Oval tube.

    British Museum
    In the British Museum’s African galleries, over 200,000 objects from across the continent are on display, including a brass head of a Yoruba ruler from Ife in Nigeria and the Tree of Life sculpture, made of weapons from Mozambique’s 17-year civil war.
    British Museum, Great Russell St, WC1 (020 7323 8000/www.the britishmuseum.ac.uk) Russell Square tube.

    Guruve
    This online gallery – www.guruve.com – promotes contemporary African art. It also has a stall at Spitalfields Traders' Market, Brushfield St, E1 (Liverpool St tube/rail) Tue or Wed 11am-3pm by request.
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    Horniman Museum
    African artefacts and more recent pieces, including sculptures by Sunday Jack Akpan, paintings by Osi Audu and metal sculptures by artist Sokari Douglas Camp, who created the Saro-Wiwa memorial bus.
    Horniman Museum, 100 London Rd, SE23 (020 8699 1872/www.horniman.ac.uk) Forest Hill rail.

    Museum in Docklands
    ‘London, Sugar & Slavery’ – the only permanent exhibition about London’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade – is set in a historic warehouse and contains objects, personal stories, artwork and music that have left a strong mark on the capital.
    Museum in Docklands, West India Quay, E14 (0870 444 3857/www.museumindocklands.org.uk ) Canary Wharf tube/DLR, West India Quay DLR.

    Museum of London
    Discover African artefacts including a nineteenth-century jigsaw puzzle and a translation of former slave Ottobah Cugoano’s 1787 book.
    Museum of London, 150 London Wall, EC2 (0870 444 3852/www.museumoflondon.org.uk) St Paul’s tube.


    October Gallery
    Contemporary art, including works by African artists; many in the ‘Angaza Afrika – African Art Now’ exhibition (May 15-June 28).
    October Gallery, 24 Old Gloucester St, WC1 (020 7242 7367/www.octobergallery.co.uk) Holborn tube.

    Tribal Gathering

    Specialists in African tribal art and adornment, including Tanzanian bark cloth, a wooden maternity figure from Kenya, metal currency from the Democratic Republic of Congo and a wooden bed from Ethiopia.
    Tribal Gathering, 1 Westbourne Grove Mews, W11 (020 7221 6650/www.tribalgatheringlondon.com) Notting Hill Gate tube.

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1 comment

  1. Posted by Suzanne Napleton on 27 May 2008 14:09

    Recently, I found an informative website about artists from all over the Continent of Africa....African Painters | www.africanpainters.com. The site breaks down the artists into their respective African Nations. It has plenty of wonderful information about the artists with pictures alongside biographies and a selection of the artists work.
    Also I found an accompanying blog discussing the state of art throughout the continent today. This site is a great resource for those interested in research into contemporary African art.
    African Artists | www.africanartists.blogspot.com
    If interested in Contemporary Africa why not Check them both out.
    African Website: African Painters | www.africanpainters.com
    African Blog: African Artists | www.africanartists.blogspot.com

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