Guide
Where to see African art
The leading museums for modern and contemporary African art on the continent include Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town (opened 2017), the Museum of Black Civilisations in Dakar (2018) and the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rabat (2014). Outside Africa, the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art in Washington, the British Museum, the Musée du quai Branly in Paris and the AfricaMuseum near Brussels hold major collections.
Updated 4 min read
In Africa
| Museum | City | Opened | Why go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zeitz MOCAA (Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa) | Cape Town, South Africa | September 2017 | Contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora, in a 1920s grain silo hollowed out by Heatherwick Studio |
| Norval Foundation | Cape Town, South Africa | 2018 | Modern and contemporary South African art and a sculpture garden |
| Iziko South African National Gallery | Cape Town, South Africa | — | South Africa's national collection |
| Johannesburg Art Gallery | Johannesburg, South Africa | 1910 | One of the largest collections on the continent |
| Museum of Black Civilisations | Dakar, Senegal | 6 December 2018 | A vast circular museum realising Senghor's vision of a museum of Black cultures worldwide |
| Théodore Monod Museum of African Art (IFAN) | Dakar, Senegal | — | Historical West African art and objects |
| National Museum of Nigeria | Lagos, Nigeria | 1957 | Historical Nigerian art; Ben Enwonwu's Anyanwu stands outside |
| Benin City National Museum | Benin City, Nigeria | 1973 | Art of the Kingdom of Benin, in the city where the bronzes were made |
| National Museum of Ghana | Accra, Ghana | March 1957 | Asante stools, archaeology and Ghanaian art, in a domed building of 1957 |
| National Museum of Mali | Bamako, Mali | — | West African archaeology, textiles and photography |
| Nairobi National Museum | Nairobi, Kenya | — | Kenyan history, culture and contemporary art |
| National Museum of Ethiopia | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | — | Lucy and Selam (casts), Aksumite archaeology and Ethiopian painting |
| Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMVI) | Rabat, Morocco | October 2014 | Moroccan modern art, including the Casablanca School |
| MACAAL (Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden) | Marrakech, Morocco | 2016 | Contemporary art from across Africa |
| Museum of Egyptian Modern Art | Cairo, Egypt | — | Egyptian painting and sculpture since the early 20th century, including Mahmoud Saïd; the Mahmoud Mokhtar Museum nearby shows the work of the sculptor Mahmoud Mokhtar |
| Grand Egyptian Museum | Giza, Egypt | November 2025 | Ancient Egyptian art, including the treasures of Tutankhamun |
Dates marked "—" are older institutions whose collections have grown over decades. Opening hours and temporary closures change; check before you go.
Outside Africa
| Museum | City | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian | Washington, DC | Founded in 1964, part of the Smithsonian since 1979; historical and contemporary collections |
| British Museum | London | Large African collections, including the Sainsbury African Galleries |
| Tate Modern | London | Modern and contemporary African artists in the collection; El Anatsui filled the Turbine Hall in 2023–24 |
| Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac | Paris | Historical art from Africa, Oceania, Asia and the Americas |
| AfricaMuseum | Tervuren, near Brussels | The former Royal Museum for Central Africa, reopened in December 2018 after renovation and a critical rethinking of its colonial origins |
| Humboldt Forum | Berlin | Ethnological collections; central to debates about restitution |
| Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) | New York | Works by artists including Ibrahim El-Salahi and Chéri Samba |
Collections and restitution
Many historical objects in European and American museums were taken during the colonial period. Since 2017 several countries have returned objects — France to Benin in 2021, and Germany and the Smithsonian to Nigeria in 2022, including Benin Bronzes — and museums increasingly explain how their collections were acquired. Visiting with that history in mind changes what you see.
Related
To see new work rather than collections, time your trip with one of the African art fairs and biennales. To buy, read how to buy African art. And for the women whose work features in many of these collections, see African women artists.
For a full guide to each museum in Africa — its history, collection and artists — see museums in Africa.
