Warren M. Robbins Library

The library houses a collection of more than 25,000 books and 400 periodicals on African art, history, and culture. Children's literature, curriculum materials, maps, and videos are included in the collection.

The library is open to the public by appointment only. Call (202) 633-4680. For further information, see the National Museum of African Art Branch of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries.

The Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, with 300,000 photographic prints and transparencies, 120,000 feet of unedited film footage, and videos and documentary films on African art, specializes in the collection and preservation of photographic materials on African art, culture, the environment, and the museum's own collections.

All requests for permision to use still photographs from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archvies must be submitted in writing and are subject to approval. Fees are charged for one-time. Prepayment is required on all orders. Requests may be sent to:

Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives
National Museum of African Art
950 Independence Ave. SW
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, DC 20560-0708

Tel: (202) 633-4690
Fax: (202) 357-4879

Mailing Address:
Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives
Smithsonian Institution
P.O. Box 37012
NMAfA - MRC 708
Washington, DC 20013-7012

You can view many of these and other photographic resources on the Smithsonian's SIRIS website. Follow the "Archives & Manuscripts" link.

Suggested Reading

African Arts (quarterly journal). Los Angeles: The James S. Coleman African Studies Center, University of California.

Mack, John, ed. Africa: Arts and Cultures. London: The Trustees of the British Museum, 2000.

National Museum of African Art. Selected Works from the Collection of the National Museum of African Art. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, 1999.

Sieber, Roy, and Roslyn Adele Walker. African Art in the Cycle of Life. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press for the National Museum of African Art, 1987.

Vansina, Jan. Art History in Africa: An Introduction to Method. London:Longman, 1984.

Visonà, Monica Blackmun, et al. Art History in Africa. New York:Prentice Hall, Inc. and Harry N. Abrams, 2001.

Willett, Frank. African Art, rev. ed. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1993.

Related Web Links

National Museum of African Art
http://www.si.edu/nmafa

African Voices
National Museum of Natural History
http://www.mnh.si.edu/africanvoices

Modern African Art / A Basic Reading List
http://www.sil.si.edu/silpublications/modernafricanart

Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren
http://www.africamuseum.be/

Click here to access a map of contemporary Africa. The map will appear in a new browser window that you can leave open on your screen as you search the site. A link to the map is also available at the bottom of each search page.