Museum of Primitive Art facts for kids

The Museum of Primitive Art was a special museum in New York City. It showed amazing art from early cultures around the world. These cultures included people from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. The museum is now closed.

Nazca Double Spout Bottle, showing hummingbirds feeding on flowers. This art was once at the Museum of Primitive Art.

Discovering the Museum of Primitive Art

The Museum of Primitive Art was a unique place. It focused on art from cultures that existed long ago. These were often the first people to live in certain areas. The museum wanted to share their beautiful and important artworks.

Who Started the Museum?

A man named Nelson Rockefeller started this museum in 1954. He was a big art collector. He gave his own collection of "Tribal art" to the museum. Tribal art means art made by the original people of a region.

Where Was the Museum Located?

The museum first opened its doors to visitors in 1957. It was in a building at 15 West 54th Street in New York City. Robert Goldwater was the first director of the museum. He helped guide its early years.

What Happened to the Art?

The Museum of Primitive Art closed in 1976. All of its wonderful art collections were then moved. They went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This way, the art could still be seen and studied by many people.

Images for kids

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  Feathered Panel from the Wari culture. It is made of macaw feathers on cotton fabric. This panel was once part of the museum's collection.