National Museum of African Art

Enter the museum’s ground-level pavilion through the Asian moon gates and geometric flower beds of the beautiful Enid A Haupt Memorial Garden, then descend into the dim underground exhibit space, connected by tunnel to the National Museum of Asian Art. Devoted to ancient and modern sub-Saharan African art, the quiet galleries display masks, textiles, ceramics, ritual objects and other examples of the visual traditions of a continent of over 900 distinct cultures. Intentionally or not, there’s a definite West African focus here – this is the traditional art many people associate with Africa, including wooden masks, statues and fetish dolls, largely from Nigeria, Benin and Cameroon. That said, the museum is making admirable strides in showcasing more contemporary work from the continent. African dance troupes, theater companies and multimedia artists frequently stage shows here. There is also a great gift-buying spot with African textiles, baskets, musical instruments and dolls.