Magazines - Tribal Art Winter 2007

By Milos Simovic, organizer and author of the catalogue of the exhibition Daughter of Zion: Orthodox Christian Art from Ethiopia (Israel Museum de Jérusalem).

Over eighteen pages, this article delivers the keys to comprehending the singularity and the manifold influences of the creations of Christian Ethiopia.

Introduction: Ethiopia is a country of near-indescribable splendor. It is a place with a strong sense of being apart, yet Ethiopia and its still-vibrant artistic traditions stand at a cross-roads of a great many cultures. Ethiopia fascinated the ancients and, as its arts become better known, continues to entice the modern world.
With a history stretching back more than 3,000 years, a major portion of Ethiopian culture has been defined for the past seventeen centuries through its Christian faith. The art that relates to this tradition has aptly been described as "Byzantine art on African soil"; however, the prism of this art also reveals Judaic, Islamic, and animist influences, as well as those of Persian, Indian, and European visitors. The very complexity of its history and intricate cross-cultural connections may explain why Ethiopian Christian art has often been neglected as a compelling component of traditional African art. It challenges many conventional views of Africa, yet it is uniquely African.
Only relatively recently has Ethiopian Christian art begun to receive attention outside the limited spheres of academia and Ethiopian nationals. Collections of Ethiopian art highlighting important periods, influences, and, at times, unique expressions are prominent in institutions such as the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, and the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, to name just a few. Notable is the recent cooperation between the African and Byzantine departments of the Met that resulted in placing this African material in galleries reflecting the complex context of the Eastern Christian world.
Despite such developments, many museums, educational institutions, and private collections of African art still hold only token examples of Ethiopian Christian art, if any at all. Often these consist of mediocre, relatively recent examples. There is still a need for discriminating eyes to develop such collections and bring the works of this great culture to the attention of the world.
"At a time when man is beginning to travel to the moon, it comes as a shock to learn how effortlessly discovery goes on, and yet how unpardonable is the neglect of what is nearest," wrote photographer and journalist Georg Gerster in 1996, after his encounter with the magnificent rock-hewn churches in Ethiopia's Tigray Province. While these are awe-inspiring to anyone, a true appreciation of Ethiopian Christian art can only come with an understanding of the turbulent history and spirit from which it springs.