Many makers’ names were not recorded. Where a name or attribution survives, it belongs beside the work.
A Pende maker working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The museum attributes this mask to Kiyova of Luaya Ndambo and dates it to before 1958. Its record describes a culture of artistic innovation, with mask makers developing new forms for local and outside audiences.
French sculptor, 1840–1917. Two masks in this selection bring the face into close focus: the Japanese actress Hanako (Ohta Hisa), dated 1908 (?), and Séverine (Caroline Rémy). These are portraits of particular people, rather than anonymous expressions.
French sculptor, 1861–1929. Mask of Hercules, dated 1909 in the museum record, turns the mythological hero into a concentrated study of facial form.
American sculptor, 1892–1965. The Green Mask is dated 1929. Its title makes colour part of the identity of the work, alongside the sculpted face.