The Beginning

1971

In the 1970s Eric Edwards, a Brooklyn native, acquired his first piece of African art – a statue of a Senufo-Bambara maternity female from Mali for $300.  With this purchase, his love for African Art was born and soon escalated into an obsession for acquiring one-of-a-kind African artifacts.

 

1998

“I went to auctions, galleries, private acquisition sales, as well as traveling extensively around the world. I started purchasing pieces when they were truly affordable and started building my collection,”

2002

Edwards credits his father James, who came to America from Barbados at 17, with teaching him about Africa’s contributions to mankind. Those lessons empowered him with a self-respect and dignity that gave him a sense of real equality.

2020

Over 3,000 artifacts reside alongside Mr. Edwards in his Brooklyn home, which has become a museum. The collection represents all 54 countries of Africa and spans over 4,000 years of history.

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CMAA is an experience created by African artifacts collector Eric Edwards, who has amassed one of the largest African art collections in the United States. In a journey of over fifty years of carefully selecting these items, which date back to over four thousand years, these rare and unique African artifacts are now being shared with the public in a museum setting for education and joy.

Address:
Cultural Museum of African Art, Inc.
The Eric Edwards Collection
1360 Fulton St, 2nd Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11216

Tel: +1 (917) 520-8977