Three centuries after ancient Egypt’s pharaohs ended their rule, new African rulers built empires in the continent’s north and east. The Byzantine Empire also participated in these artistic and cultural networks as it expanded into Northern Africa. Together, these great civilizations created unique art reflecting their heritages while also building a shared visual culture across regions linked by the Mediterranean and Red seas, and the Nile River. In The Magic Flute, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart also looked to the African past to write a new opera that reflected his present. Ancient Egypt fascinated both Mozart and the Freemason fraternal organization he belonged to. Like Nubian and later Egyptian artists whose creations interpreted pharaonic legacies, Mozart’s opera considers these histories in pieces like the aria “O Isis und Osiris.”

Africa and Byzantium considers the complex artistic relationships between northern and eastern African Christian kingdoms and the Byzantine Empire from the fourth century and beyond. The first international loan exhibition to treat this subject, it includes nearly 160 artworks lent by African, European, and North American collections. Most were made by African artists or imported to the continent at the request of the powerful rulers of precolonial kingdoms and empires. The art and faith of these historical kingdoms — including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam — resonate with many worldwide today.

For tickets, tour schedules, and programming visit www.clevelandart.org