Ethiopia at the Crossroads | Toledo Museum of Art

The Toledo Museum of Art presents Ethiopia at the Crossroads, an extraordinary exhibition celebrating the artistic traditions of Ethiopia from their origins to the present day.

Seated in the Horn of Africa between Europe and the Middle East, Ethiopia is an intersection of diverse cultures, religions and climates. Its access to key waterways and strategic placement at the juncture of Africa, Asia and Europe fostered trade and significant cultural interchange. Ethiopia at the Crossroads showcases the enormous cultural significance of this often-overlooked African nation through art that tells the story of the region’s history and demonstrates the vibrancy of cross-cultural exchange and the human role in the creation and movement of these art objects.

Frey Seyon Ethiopian Diptych with Mary and Her Son Flanked by Archangels, Apostles and a Saint Late 15th century. Tempera on wood. left panel: 10 x 7½ x ¾ in., right panel: 0 x 7½ x ¾ in. The Walters Art Museum. W. Alton Jones Acquisition Fund, 2001, from Nancy and Robert Nooter Collection. 36.12

In the exhibition, more than 225 historic and contemporary works usher visitors through centuries of this cross-cultural connectivity and highlight the role Ethiopian artists played in the creation and exchange of artworks throughout Africa and across the Mediterranean, Red Sea and Indian Ocean. Historical works of Ethiopian art — including devotional painted icons, manuscripts, coins, textiles, metalwork and carved wood crosses of various scales — will appear alongside contemporary works by Merikokeb Berhanu, Julie Mehretu, Helina Metaferia, Aïda Muluneh, and Elias Sime to showcase the often-overlooked cultural significance of Ethiopia.

Ethiopian Psalter with Praise of Mary (Wəddase Maryam) and the Canticles of the Prophets About 1400-1500. Ink and pigments on parchment with wooden boards. Open: 8 7/8 × 6 11/16 × 3 15/16 in. Toledo Museum of Art. Mrs. George W. Stevens Fund.

Ethiopian Folding Processional Icon in the Shape of a Fan Late 15th century. Tempera with ink on parchment, wood handles. Extended 24-1/4 x 154-1/8 x 4 ¾ in., one panel: 24-1/4 x 4-1/16. The Walters Art Museum.

Ethiopia at the Crossroads is co-organized by the Toledo Museum of Art (TMA), Walters Art Museum, and Peabody Essex Museum and curated for TMA by Sophie Ong, Assistant Director of Strategic Initiatives. The exhibition is made possible by two major grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy Demands Wisdom and a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (MA-253352-OMS-23). 

The exhibition will be on from August 17, 2024 - November 10, 2024

For more information, please visit Toledo Museum.