Particular Histories: Provenance Research in African Arts
Come and see the exhibition from July 10–November 13, 2022. Provenance research (an investigation of an artwork's past ownerships) traces the movement of a given object through different cultural, economic, and political contexts. Particular Histories presents five provenance case studies drawn from African material dating to the early 20th century that came to the Fowler Museum from the collection of Sir Henry Wellcome (1853–1936).
Provenance research (an investigation of an artwork’s past ownerships) traces the movement of a given object through different cultural, economic, and political contexts. Particular Histories presents five provenance case studies drawn from African material dating to the early 20th century that came to the Fowler Museum from the collection of Sir Henry Wellcome (1853–1936). The exhibition highlights recent findings—made through a combination of conservation, material science, archival research, and curatorial methods—that shed light on shifting perceptions of the objects’ value over time and offer some surprising revelations: from fictions concocted to assert certain works’ “authenticity” to new understanding of how some artists developed innovative designs tailored to local and foreign buyers.
This exhibition emerges from a three-year project, funded by the Mellon Foundation, which aims to unravel the histories of African works at the Fowler and begin reckoning with the legacy of European colonization and its influence on the objects’ use and perception. Multidisciplinary provenance research also lays the groundwork for building connections with communities of origin.
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Location: Fowler Museum (308 Charles E Young Dr N Los Angeles, CA 90024)
Admission is free and open to the public. Hours are:
Monday Closed
Tuesday Closed
Wednesday 12–5pm
Thursday 12–5pm
Friday 12–5pm
Saturday 12–5pm
Sunday 12–5pm
We hope you find these exhibitions enjoyable and resourceful. If you need more information regarding the entry requirements or other ongoing events, please visit: https://fowler.ucla.edu/visit/
Published: Friday, March 11, 2022