"One cannot always pray and kneel at the altar, but the statue can." â Dogon saying
A multitude of men and women inhabit the cases in this gallery. Many were once placed on altars, eternal envoys summoning heaven's deities to help improve life on earth. As can be seen in their taut stances and disciplined composure, they concentrate intently on this dutyâtheir job is to inspire trust and confidence that humans, at least occasionally, do aspire to be divine.
People might consult special sculptures within quiet altars and seek their guidance. Some sculptures were meant to be carried into festivals and rituals with music, dancing, songs, proverbs, prayers, and invocations.
At the center of the gallery is a car coffin, a recent innovation in approaching heaven quickly, as befits contemporary life. On the east wall, a case is dedicated to the figural art of the Yoruba of Nigeria, a civilization that has flourished for nine centuries and continues to depict the faces of their gods in Africa and the Americas.