African Terracotta

11 June to 16 August

An ancient heritage – Barbier-Mueller museum collections

As prestige objects or evidence of an individual’s social status, terracotta utensils, containers and figures accompany people through their daily lives and punctuate their lives during the rites of passage - birth, initiation, marriage and death. They are also a sacred link between the world of the living and the afterlife. There are 70 uniquely expressive objects to be seen during a fascinating discovery of the heritage of Africa, the cradle of cultures and civilisation.

You will be amazed by the symbolic strength and beauty of these shaped objects, which have come from West and Central Africa: archaeological containers from the inner delta of the Niger, head-portraits and Akan proverb pots from Ghana and a full range of Calabar funeral pottery from Nigeria.