Ethiopia at the Crossroads

The first major exhibition in America to examine Ethiopian art in a global context, this extraordinary exhibition celebrates the artistic traditions of Ethiopia from their origins to the present day. 

Explore nearly 2,000 years of Ethiopian art and culture through more than 200 objects, including painted religious icons, illuminated manuscripts, gospel books, coins, metalwork and carvings paired with works by renowned contemporary Ethiopian artists including Wosene Worke Kosrof, Helina Metaferia, Aïda Muluneh, and Elias Sime.​

Seated in the Horn of Africa between Europe and the Middle East, Ethiopia is an intersection of diverse cultures, religions and climates. Ethiopia at the Crossroads examines the enormous cultural significance of this often-overlooked African nation through art that tells the story of the region’s history and demonstrates the vibrancy of cross-cultural exchange and the human role in the creation and movement of these art objects. This exhibition draws from PEM’s collection of Ethiopian icons and processional crosses, and is augmented with loans from American, European, and Ethiopian lenders.

Ethiopia at the Crossroads is co-organized by the Peabody Essex Museum, the Walters Art Museum and the Toledo Museum of Art

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website

Image credit:  ​Artist in Ethiopia, The Virgin and Child with Archangels, Scenes from the Life of Christ, and Saints, early 17th century. Tempera on panel. Museum purchase with funds provided by the W. Alton Jones Foundation Acquisition Fund, 1996. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore.​