Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Musée d'Arts Afriques, Océaniens et Amerindians (MAAOA) is located on the second floor of the Vieille Charité in the 2nd arrondissement of Marseille. Created in 1992 by archaeologist Alain Nicolas, he presents works exclusively from the African, Oceanian and Amerindian continents. His collections come from major donations such as those of François Reichenbach (Mexican folk art) or ethnographic ensembles (masks, ritual skulls, sculptures) from the War legacy and Henri Gastaut. The museum highlights emblematic pieces, such as Mexican alebrijes – colourful sculptures in dream-inspired chewed paper – or fang reliquaries (Gabon), while contextualizing these objects through ethnological approaches.

The works are organized by cultural and thematic areas, reflecting the diversity of the societies represented. The hall dedicated to Mexico exhibits ceramics, dance masks and alebrijes, fantastic creatures popularized by artists such as Pierre Linares Lopez (1906–1992), whose work influenced Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. Another section includes carved skulls from Papua New Guinea or reduced Amazonian heads (Shuars), illustrating ritual practices. MAAOA is distinguished by its desire to link aesthetics and science, offering a cross-eyed look at arts long marginalized in the West.

The museum is part of the history of Old Charity, an ancient 17th-century hospice designed by Pierre Puget, whose central chapel is classified as a Historic Monument. Marseille, with Paris, is one of only two French cities to house a museum entirely dedicated to these extra-European arts. The collections, enriched by regular acquisitions (e.g. Jacques Kerchache's or Arman's pieces), testify to the evolution of the eyes on these cultures, from the pioneering exhibitions of the 1930s to their current recognition as major arts.

The museum approach of MAAOA is based on a balance between contemplation and pedagogy. The objects, classified by peoples (Marka, Fang, Gouro-Bété, Mundurucu, etc.), are accompanied by scientific records highlighting their social or spiritual function. This approach is in line with the early ethnographic studies of the 20th century, which helped to revalue these productions as works of art in its own right, in dialogue with modern avant-gardes. The museum remains a reference point for understanding the richness of non-Western arts and their impact on contemporary creation.

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