An example of Luba art

The Luba Kingdom was an African empire located near the heart of the continent. It reigned over the region from about 1300 or 1400 to the late 1800s. This week, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art will be bringing the art and culture of the empire to modern-day Los Angeles with a presentation by California State University, Northridge religious studies professor Mutombo Nkulu-N’Sengha.

Nkulu-N’Sengha, a descendant of the Luba royal family, and Mary Nooter Roberts, the museum’s curator of African art, will talk about the rich art and culture of the Luba people during a gallery tour on Sept. 14 at the museum.

According to the museum’s site, “Nkulu-N’Sengha will offer insight into Luba concepts of personhood, royalty and the principle of ‘a good heart’ as the pillar of Luba thought and existence. Together Roberts and Nkulu-N’Sengha will discuss the importance of history, the role of women and the nuances of Luba philosophy that inform and enrich the understanding of the remarkable works of art on view in the exhibition.”

For more: Gallery Tour: Luba Art, Culture, and Cosmology (LACMA)

College of Humanities, LACMA