The Brooklyn Museum has announced a $13 million renovation project to establish a permanent 6,400-square-foot home for its extensive African art collection. Scheduled to open in Fall 2027, the new Arts of Africa galleries will feature approximately 300 works ranging from ancient Meroitic ceramics to contemporary pieces. The architectural overhaul, led by Peterson Rich Office and Beyer Blinder Belle, will transform former storage spaces on the museum's third floor into four distinct gallery environments.
This initiative is significant as it seeks to move beyond traditional anthropological frameworks, instead centering African and Afrodiasporic perspectives through deep provenance research and object biographies. By integrating these works into a broader art historical narrative, the museum builds upon its 1923 legacy as the first American institution to exhibit African objects as fine art. The project also highlights the leadership of curators Ernestine White-Mifetu and Annissa Malvoisin in redefining how major encyclopedic museums present global transculturalism.