The Cleveland Museum of Art is showcasing nearly 160 works of secular and sacred art that span geographies and faiths in its newest exhibition, “Africa & Byzantium.”
Even if you have just passing knowledge of this part of the world, and aren’t particularly interested in religious art, the exhibit offers an impressive array of mosaics, portraits, textiles and other sacred pieces that explain the interwoven relationships among Christians and other religious people in North Africa, Turkey and adjoining regions. Many have never been exhibited in the United States until now.
From monumental frescoes, mosaics and luxury goods such as metalwork and jewelry to panel paintings, architectural elements, textiles, and illuminated manuscripts, the exhibition explores the great civilizations that created their own unique arts while also building a shared visual culture across the regions linked by the Mediterranean and Red Seas, the Nile River and the Sahara Desert. On view from now through Sunday, July 21 in the Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation Exhibition Hall, Africa & Byzantium examines a convergence of art and culture that shaped the world.
The exhibition was organized in conjunction with the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Ticket Pricing
Adults $15; seniors, students $12; youth 18 and under and CMA members free. The Cleveland Museum of Art welcomes Blue Star Families, active and retired members of the American military, and qualifying members of Museums for All with free admission. The CMA recommends reserving tickets through its online platform by visiting the Africa & Byzantium exhibition webpage. The page also has a list of complementary programming. Tickets can also be reserved by phone at 216-421-7350 or on-site at one of the ticket desks.
Tickets are expected to be booked quickly and are not guaranteed. Your first choice of date and time may not be available, so please have other date and time options in mind when reserving tickets. Advance ticket sales are highly recommended.
Photo: Diptych with Twelve Apostles & St. Paul, c. 1700. Workshop or Circle of Wäldä Maryam (Ethiopia, active mid- to late 1600s-early 1700s). Tempera, wood, textile; 39 x 51 cm (15 3/8 x 20 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2023.4ooorld.
