Dan culture
Liberia or Côte d’Ivoire
Mask, c. 1945
Wood, cloth, metal, undetermined materials
Gift of Marion and John Andrus 91.109

The size of this mask is highly unusual. Unlikely to have been worn, it is probably a ‘family mask’ that was hung on the wall to protect the household. The four little pouches above the forehead are protective talismans. Characteristic of many Dan masks is the high forehead split by a vertical ridge, and the angle at eye level. The holes in the upper lip contained wooden or metal teeth.

Masks from the West-African Dan People

Saturday, June 12, 2010—Sunday, November 28, 2010
Gallery 261a
Free Exhibition

Masks are the most important art form of the Dan, who live on either side of the border between Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire. This installation includes eight masks, from the MIA and from two local collectors.

This exhibition is the first of a series of small-scale experimental installations that will inform the redesign of the African galleries and will incorporate technological innovations.

Listen to Gaston Gueria discuss the dreaming and making of masks in Dan culture. (1:10)




Listen to a few dreams that visitors have recorded:

Dream #1:

Dream #2: