Design and sculptural innovation meet spiritual power in a new exhibition of art from Angola, Mozambique, and Guinea Bissau. Culled from the African collections of the National Museum of Ethnology, Lisbon, In the Presence of Spirits features approximately 142 objects endowed with either spiritual or secular power. They range from masks and figures, to carved combs, pipes, stools, and chairs. This exhibition marks the first time that many of the artworks will be on public view in the United States.

Showcasing a selection of the finest pieces from the Portuguese museum, highlights include important figures from various Kongo people, an extraordinary ensemble of stone funerary figures from the Solongo and Mbali, and a spectacular group of carvings from the Bidjogo people, ranging from monumental masks representing sharks, buffaloes, and birds, to delicately finished figural spoons. Other impressive objects come from the Chokwe, Songo, Yaka, Nkanu, Zombo, Suku, Matapa, and Ngangela people, as well as the Dan from Ivory Coast, the Baga from Guinea, and the Fang from Gabon.

In the Presence of Spirits: Selections from the National Museum of Ethnology, Lisbon toured to the following venues: Birmingham Museum of Art, Alabama (2001); National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC (2001); and Flint Institute of Art, Flint, Michigan (2001).