Théodore Monod African Art Museum Travel Guide: Top Sights in

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Théodore Monod African Art Museum- Travel Tips What to See, How to Plan & Tours: Historical & Cultural; Senegal; 5 Reviews

Suggested Duration: 2 hours

The Théodore Monod African Art Museum in Dakar, Senegal, established as part of the Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noire (IFAN) in 1936, is among West Africa's oldest art institutions. Initially named after IFAN and later rechristened in 2007 to honor French naturalist Théodore Monod, the museum houses significant collections from Francophone Africa, reflecting its origins as a key cultural research center during French colonial rule. Located near Senegal's National Assembly, it operates under Cheikh Anta Diop University and serves as a hub for African cultural studies, while also featuring in the Dakar Biennale as a venue for contemporary African and diaspora art.

Operators offering tours in Senegal

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Attractions in Dakar

Reviews of Théodore Monod African Art Museum

Mirek Zabski

5
Reviewed: 2025-03-14

An interesting museum and a must see. Located in the Dakar city centre. The museum building (A.D 1938) presents a typical Art Deco character. Great architecture. Two floors of exhibitions. A collection of interesting and handmade exhibits from West African countries. I highly recommend a visit. It is really worth seeing the handmade exhibits like funeral masks, terracotta statuettes, drums made from animal skins, and many other art wooden works. These are beautiful objects. It is worth make a notice, that the artists who made all of them did not have (not use) a metal tools that are currently available and used for this type of artistic craft. I visited the Théodore Monod African Art Museum (part of IFAN Museum of African Arts) in January 2025. My top recommendation.
Dirk-Jan Kok

2
Reviewed: 2025-02-19

You can find more (and more interesting) items in an upscale souvenir shop. The exhibition is very small, of limited artistic and/or historical significance and quite expensive (5,000 per person) for what you get. I hope sometime they will invest in acquiring a good collection. Senegal/africa has produced much greater art than this. There were maybe one or two objects that made an impression (photos). Little too no explanation. Sometimes the marketplace pricetag was still on the art.
Bjørn

3
Reviewed: 2025-02-17

Very small exhibition and only one floor. Second floor seems to be under renovation. Took 10 minutes walking through all. They have but a few artifacts, but very little informative display other than brief description of each item. "Magic bottle from Guinea" for example. And it was quite expensive to enter at 5.000 for foreigners. Would not recommend the detour unless you're in the area.
kumar prashant

4
Reviewed: 2024-11-22

Although Google map was indicating it as open, it was closed. Front entrance was open and there was no one to provide information. There were staffs sitting around but no one cared to provide any information. There was one art expo inside and we could see that.
Benjamin Admonius

5
Reviewed: 2024-08-15

Really wonderful museum in Dakar. Veronique was an excellent guide and explained so much about the art and Senegalese culture in general. The art is exciting and pulled from different countries all over Africa.