I came back by myself the next day and decided to see a part
of the museum I knew nothing about, but beckoned me every time I passed through:
Art of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. Nelson Rockefeller, U.S. Vice President
(and heir to the Rockefeller fortune), along with his son Michael, collected most
of this art and in 1954 created a Museum of Primitive Art (not a politically
correct term today). That museum closed in 1976, the collection was donated to
the Met, and in 1982 a spacious new wing was built to house it.
The first galleries were devoted to the Americas, which
included the Inca and Mayan civilizations, Central America, and parts of South
America, particularly Peru. Many of the
sculptures, as well as the golden objects, were intriguing, and I couldn't resist
taking pictures of many of them.
Next was a small room devoted to Art of Native America, i.e.
American Indians. This was probably the most disappointing part of the
whole museum. As a matter of fact, a Native American who arrived about the same
time, expressed dismay how little there was, considering the vast range of
Native American cultures.
The next section was Africa, which had even more expressive
and intriguing sculptures. Most striking
is this Kongo Power Figure with
nails driven in to show the person’s power.
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