MARTIN AWORINLEWO ODEYEMI MUSEUM OF ANTIQUITIES AND CONTEMPORARY

The Martin Aworinlewo Odeyemi Museum of Antiquities and Contemporary Arts is an integral unit of the Institute whose structure and contents were donated in 2005 by Chief John Agboola Odeyemi, the Obasewa of Ife, in memory of his beloved parents. The Museum houses rare and relevant objects of Yoruba antiquity and contemporary art, displayed in a controlled environment. The objects are predominantly from a well-tended storage supervised by the Department of Fine and Applied Arts, and they are rotated at intervals to ensure visitor interest and theme relevance. The Museum ensures the display of both Contemporary African Art and Antiquities to justify its name “Museum of Antiquities and Contemporary African Art”.

Among the museum collection are: A giant-sized Ogoni mask, some traditional Gelede masks, and a full Gelede masquerade regalia, among many others. There are also complete Egungun masquerade regalia, aged costumes

tumes and headdresses.

The Museum is endowed with a rich collection of art and antiquities from decades of work by the founding fathers and researchers of the preceding Institute of African Studies, carefully preserved over time. The Museum is open to the public from Monday to Friday between 9.00 am and 5.00 pm.