Rois et reines d’Afrique - Formes et figures du pouvoir

Kings and Queens of Africa at the musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac explores how the arts give shape to power. Spanning ten centuries and some twenty kingdoms in sub-Saharan Africa, the exhibition brings together prestige objects, contemporary works, documents and archival recordings.

Crowns, jewellery, sceptres, thrones and monumental drums reveal how authority is made visible and staged. Royal masks and ceremonial weapons extend this exploration of the relationships between craftsmanship, social status and sacred power. Figures such as Béhanzin, Shaka and Mansa Musa mark the stages of a journey connecting Yoruba, Akan and Ethiopian cultures, among others.

Presented at Louvre Abu Dhabi in 2025, the project combines historical, geographical and thematic approaches. It is curated by Hélène Joubert with Malick Ndiaye, curator at the Musée Théodore-Monod in Dakar. The dialogue with contemporary works invites reflection on the place of these legacies in present-day representations of power.

Practical information
- Galerie Jardin.
- Tuesday to Sunday, 10:30 am to 7 pm; until 10 pm on Thursdays.
- Open on Mondays during short school holidays in all French school holiday zones.
- Closed on 1 May and 25 December.
- Closes at 6 pm on 24 and 31 December.
- Free admission on the first Sunday of the month.