October 13, 2005 | Read Time: 2 minutes
The Walt Disney Company has donated its collection of African art to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African Art, in Washington, one of several museums vying for the gift. While neither Disney nor the Smithsonian has estimated the gift’s value, experts cited in the Los Angeles Times placed the collection’s value at between $20-million and $45-million.
The Burbank, Calif., company bought the artworks in 1984 from Paul Tishman, a New York real-estate developer, and his wife, Ruth, who began acquiring African art in the early 1960s. The collection they amassed is known both for the rarity of many of its objects, and its breadth. The collection’s 525 pieces, which date from the 1400s, represent 20 countries and 75 indigenous groups.
Since purchasing the collection, Disney has lent pieces to approximately 50 museums, including the Louvre, in Paris, and the Museum for African Art, in New York. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art received six pieces on long-term loan in 2002.
In announcing the gift the day before he stepped down as chief executive of the company, Michael Eisner said he had received many inquiries about the collection, including from Jacques Chirac, the president of France.
But, according to Sharon F. Patton, who directs the Smithsonian’s African-art museum, Mr. Eisner chose the Washington museum because he felt it was in the best position to expose people to the “creative genius” of African art. Its status as a national museum, its many resources, and the fact that it does not charge admission led Mr. Eisner to believe the museum could fulfill the Tishmans’ goal of educating people about African art.
Personal connections also helped the Smithsonian make its case, says Ms. Patton. Mr. Eisner’s wife, Jane, serves on the Smithsonian’s National Board, while Lawrence M. Small, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, is an acquaintance of Mr. Eisner’s and had been advocating on behalf of the museum for several years.
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art has already put a few of the artworks on display, while a full exhibition is planned for 2007. The collection’s many highlights include a 15th-century hunting horn from Sierra Leone, a mask worn in 19th-century Cameroon, and an ivory armlet from 16th-century Nigeria overlaid with figures of people and animals.
