The Byzantine Tradition in Africa, ICMA Annual Lecture by Andrea Myers Achi (The Metropolitan Museum of Art), The Courtauld Institute of Art, Vernon Square Campus and Zoom, March 29, 2023, 6:00–7:30 pm

In the Fall of 2023, The Metropolitan Museum of Art will present a groundbreaking exhibition that builds upon its long legacy of award-winning Byzantine exhibitions. This lecture will provide an overview of the exhibition, Africa & Byzantium, which explores translations of Byzantine art and culture by local and foreign artists working in northern and eastern Africa from the fourth through fifteenth centuries and beyond. Faith, politics, and commerce across land and sea linked African communities to Byzantium, resulting in a lively interchange of arts and beliefs. The exhibition will broaden public understanding of the Byzantine world, its reach, and its transcultural authority and examine the important role of early African Christian civilizations in this creative sphere. After a summary of the exhibition’s key themes and major artworks, this lecture will conclude with a consideration of what might be gained or lost by expanding the definitions of Byzantine Art and African Art in the context of this significant project. 

Dr. Andrea Myers Achi is trained as a Byzantinist, and her curatorial practice focuses on late antique and Byzantine art of the Mediterranean Basin and Northeast Africa. 

Advance registration required.