The North Carolina Museum of Art Announces 12 New Acquisitions

North Carolina Museum of Art

Raleigh, N.C. — The North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA), a division of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR), announces the acquisition of 12 works that promote global geographic representation, encourage original dialogues with some of the most beloved works on view, and pave the way for manifold thematic engagements across collections.

“We are delighted to present these latest additions to the People’s Collection, made possible by a host of generous donors and supporters,” says Museum Director Valerie Hillings. “Collectively and individually, these artworks highlight the transcultural nature of art produced across the world throughout history and up to today, bringing forward aspects of distinction and points of interconnection.”

Toyin Ojih Odutola, The Marchioness, 2016

The Marchioness, a generous gift of Pat and Tom Gipson, portrays a character from an epic visual novel created by artist Toyin Ojih Odutola over the course of three years. The series’ subjects, at home and at ease in affluent surroundings, occupy a fictional world in which British colonial rule and the horrors of transatlantic slavery did not disrupt lineages of Nigerian aristocracy. Nearly life-size, and with a larger-than-life presence, the title character is surrounded by signifiers of wealth, including an art collection that compels viewers to reflect on questions of representation. This work will provide rich conversation with other works in the collection by contemporary artists concerned with the figure, including Kehinde Wiley, Mickalene Thomas, Hayv Kahraman, and Clarence Heyward, among others.

Unknown, Udjat-eye Ring, circa 1390–1336 BCE

On loan to the NCMA since the 2022 Reinstallation of the People’s Collection, this vibrant piece of amuletic jewelry, dated to the ancient Egyptian New Kingdom Dynasty 18 (circa 1550–1295 BCE), is now officially part of Museum’s permanent collection. The ring takes the shape of an udjat-eye—a highly recognizable ancient Egyptian protective symbol associated with the god Horus. Jewelry of this kind was worn by both the living and the dead, symbolizing rebirth and offering protection against various threats. As the NCMA’s ancient Egyptian holdings primarily include funerary material culture, such as coffins, shabtis, and statues, this gift of Dr. and Mrs. Gerhard L. Weinberg expands its collection of objects related to beauty, self-care, and grooming—topics of growing interest for visitors.

Unknown, A’a armlet, circa 1550–1069 BCE

Like the Udjat-eye Ring, this a’aarmlet from the Weinberg collection is made of faience, a ceramic material shaped using molds and regularly employed by ancient Egyptians. Although a synthetic material likely created as an inexpensive substitute for semiprecious stones such as lapis lazuli, faience was considered precious and distinguished. It is possible that faience armbands were included among “Gold of Honor” jewelry sets, bestowed by the king on generals, valorous soldiers, courtiers, and other highly valued individuals. By acquiring this armband, the Museum progresses its goal of expanding representation of personal objects used in daily life and items deemed important to their owner.

Serge Alain Nitegeka, Tunnel VIII: Studio Study XIX, 2014

Displaced by the events of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, artist Serge Alain Nitegeka draws on his personal history to examine themes of forced migration, boundaries, and restriction. Tunnel VIII: Studio Study XIX directly references a series of sculptural, site-specific installations Nitegeka produced in 2014 that invited viewers to navigate a dense assemblage of black-lacquered wooden beams, alluding to the physical and political barriers faced by refugees. Both an abstract composition and a response to lived experience, the work invokes a multiplicity of formal elements (geometric shapes, painted surfaces, exposed unprimed plywood) to challenge the perceived limitations of the painted surface.

Serge Alain Nitegeka, Form Ephemeral V, 2017

Form Ephemeral V marks the introduction of the color blue into Nitegeka’s practice, previously dominated by the solitude and psychological weight of black. It wasn’t until the birth of his daughter that Nitegeka, moved by a sense of change, decided to explore alternative palettes. The colors and depth of this work evoke the image of a vast, uncertain body of water—one that may represent passage, distance, or the impossibility of crossing. Tunnel VIII: Studio Study XIX and Form Ephemeral V are kindly offered to the NCMA as gifts from the prominent, New York collector Zoë Dictrow and her late husband, Joel. Both works will facilitate new dialogues in the 20th-century and African art galleries, adding to the growing number of works in the collection that transform unconventional materials into thought-provoking abstract forms.

Làmídì Fákéye, Untitled (Veranda Post), early 1960s

In the early 1960s, renowned Nigerian woodcarver Làmídì Fákéye was relatively restrained in his practice, focusing on simplified forms with modest surface decoration. Untitled (Veranda Post) exemplifies this period, featuring three stacked figures—a clothed man wearing a hat, a kneeling woman holding her breasts, and a babaláwo or diviner—separated by geometric blocks. Donated by Sandra T. Barnes, this architectural detail will be displayed alongside the three late-career veranda posts by Fákéye already on view in the People’s Collection, allowing visitors to witness Fákéye’s artistic development firsthand.

Israel Ala, Untitled (Two Agbogho Mmuo Masks), 1966

Untitled (Two Agbogho Mmuo Masks), donated to the NCMA by Carey and Delia Dubois, depicts two masquerade dancers wearing Agbogho Mmuo, also known as Maiden Spirit masks. Israel Ala’s work recalls a painting of the same subject by his mentor Ben Enwonwu. Whereas Enwonwu emphasizes the dancer’s graceful body, movement, and form, Ala foregrounds the details of the masks and headdresses, producing a dreamlike atmosphere by decontextualizing the scene. Adding this work to the People’s Collection, the Museum grows its holdings of modern African art and advances opportunities to exhibit such works alongside related historical or ritual objects.

Unknown, Torah Finials, circa 1876–1918

This pair of Torah finials epitomizes a type popular in Sephardic communities across the late Ottoman Empire. Pear-shaped, the bodies are decorated with plant-like whorls and vegetal embellishments, including berry-like apices. The staves bear a short, carved inscription conveying a blessing for one Chaim Abulafia, whose family stands as an exemplar of Ottoman Jewish culture and its Sephardic roots. These finials join two other contemporary examples of Ottoman Jewish art in the collection (both 19th-century Esther scrolls and filigree cases), expanding the representation of non-European ceremonial works in the Judaic Art Gallery.

Unknown, Ketubah, 1915

This vibrant Jewish marriage contract, created in Calcutta and donated to the NCMA by Howard Satisky in memory of Lyn Rothstein Satisky, embodies the rich interplay between Jewish tradition and Indian visual culture. The document’s red border, lavishly decorated with animals, flowers, and fruits, attests to the influence of local Indian artistic traditions, while the extended prayer at the top reflects practices specific to the Baghdadi Jewish community. Only a limited number of ketubot from India have survived, and these are now primarily held in museums and library collections. As the second ketubah to enter the collection, following the 2025 acquisition of an example from Livorno, Italy, this work strengthens efforts to represent the Jewish lifecycle and its varied expressions across cultures.

Two stained glass roundels, late 19th century

This pair of late 19th-century American stained-glass roundels comes from Temple Oheb Sholom in Goldsboro, North Carolina, and was donated by its congregation. For the more than 100 years Oheb Sholob maintained an active congregation, these windows flanked the Torah Shrine—the focal point of the weekly liturgy—and presented complementary imagery relating to the Jerusalem Temple: one depicts a burnt offering atop the Ark of the Covenant, while the other shows a seven-branched candelabrum, or Temple menorah. Collaborating with historic preservation specialists Studio Brundrett LLC, the Museum’s conservation team deinstalled the windows in early 2026 and has plans for extensive repair and restoration. The first stained glass works to enter the Museum’s collection, these roundels will highlight not only the American Jewish experience, but specifically the North Carolinian Jewish experience, grounding the global collection in forms of cultural heritage familiar to visitors and their neighbors.

Unknown, Torah Binder, 1782

Created in the late 18th century to mark the birth of one Meir Gumpel, this Danish torah binder, richly decorated with figural and ornamental designs drawn from Ashkenazic and German traditions of manuscript illumination, demonstrates the influence German immigrants had on early Danish Jewish life. Among the binder’s Hebrew inscriptions, floral motifs and depictions of human faces are complemented by heraldic figures, a wedding scene, and quotations from Jewish ethical and wisdom literature. An early example of the painted wimple tradition, this gift of the Triangle Seminar for Jewish Studies and the Friends of the Judaic Art Gallery diversifies the media represented in the gallery and expands the geographic scope of the collection.

For interview requests, please contact Lizzie Newton, Director of Marketing and Communications at lizzie.newton@dncr.nc.gov.

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About the North Carolina Museum of Art

The North Carolina Museum of Art’s collection spans more than 5,000 years, from antiquity to the present, making the institution one of the premier art museums in the South. The museum’s collection provides educational, aesthetic, intellectual and cultural experiences for the citizens of North Carolina and beyond. The 164-acre Museum Park showcases the connection between art and nature through site-specific works of environmental art. The museum offers changing special exhibitions, classes, lectures, family activities, films and concerts. The museum is located at 2110 Blue Ridge Rd. in Raleigh and is home to the People’s Collection. It is the art museum of the State of North Carolina, under the auspices of Gov. Josh Stein; an agency of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, guided by the direction of Secretary Pamela B. Cashwell; and led by Director Valerie Hillings. For more information please visit ncartmuseum.org.

About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina—its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. At more than 100 sites across the state, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility and strengthens community resiliency. For more information please visit dncr.nc.gov.

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