Married Woman’s Necklaces of glass beads, Africa, Kenya and Tanzania, Maasaï people, 20th century.Photograph © Museum Associates/LACMA. Marcel and Zaira Collection.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART (LACMA) presents “Ritual Expressions: African Adornment from the Permanent Collection” through July 6, 2025. The exhibition explores how jewelry and garments are constructed to express societal conventions, and reveals their critical role in establishing and transmitting the wearer’s identity and rank. For example, a striking 28-foot-long raffia palmfiber textile is wrapped around the body to transform into a dimensional ceremonial skirt, enlarging the wearer’s figure while indicating status and wealth within the community.
5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90036; 323.857.6000; www.lacma.org.