For more than four decades, the artist José de Guimarães (Guimarães, 1939) has amassed a significant collection of artifacts from Central and West Africa cultures, sourced from specialist European dealers. His fascination with such objects took root at Museum of Angola in 1967, shortly after he was stationed in Luanda for his military service. This pivotal event left an enduring mark on his work that persists to this day. From an early stage, the collector’s passion was cultivated through a pursuit of knowledge, fueled by visits to ethnographic museums worldwide and extensive reading about those objects and the cultures from which they originate. A selection from his expanding collection of traditional African art – now exceeding 3,000 items – is permanently held at CIAJG, where it has featured prominently in the exhibition program since the outset. Over the years, these artifacts have been showcased alongside a broader selection of pieces entrusted by the artist to CIAJG, encompassing a diverse range of his own works from various periods, as well as items from his holdings of ancient Chinese and pre-Columbian art – the latter originating from regions such as present-day Mexico, Peru, Guatemala, and Costa Rica. The CIAJG’s collection of traditional African art, complemented by significant loans from José de Guimarães, takes center stage in a new independent display.