Known as “Mother” for good reason, Africa has long fostered cultures that radiate the sacred, primordial rhythms of life. The exhibition Africa: Arts of a Continent at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts spotlights early-20thcentury African tribal art and ancient Egyptian objects.

Natacha Rambova— ballerina, costume designer and wife of Rudolph Valentino— donated the majority of the objects in the Arts of a Continent exhibit from her personal collection. Rambova had a great interest in Egyptology, symbolism, mysticism and art history.

The Arts of a Continent exhibit features African art from UMFA’s permanent collection that has been on a several-year hiatus, as well as some new acquisitions, including an approximately 2,600-year-old, handsomely decorated Egyptian sarcophagus. The mystery and magic of the spirit world, ancestral realms and afterlife are palpable in the burial items, art objects and royal masks on display. Come discover Africa as nurturer to the spirituality latent in the human soul.

Africa: Arts of a Continent @ Utah Museum of Fine Arts, 410 Campus Center Dr., 801-581-7332, Oct. 15-Sept. 2011