Trip To Zinsou Foundation Museum Ouidah, Benin Republic

The Zinsou Foundation Museum of African Art is a contemporary African art museum located in Ouidah, Benin Republic. The foundation provides free access to contemporary African arts. It is known as the Musee de la Fondation Zinsou in French.
It is host to several African art exhibitions. The foundation started as a private art exhibition centre in Benin. The foundation promotes African arts.

About Zinsou Foundation

The foundation has hosted over 32 exhibitions. It promotes cultural, educational and African culture. The foundation hosts the highest collection of contemporary African arts in the Benin Republic. It also serves as the host for art exhibitions. The exhibition features educational tours, workshops, dance exhibitions, guided tours etc. It has hosted over six million visitors since inception.
The museum has photos, images, paintings, sculptures, woodworks from several African artists.
It is a two-storey colonial mansion. It was built in 1922 and was home to some of the colonial masters.
The foundation museum was established in 2005. The museum is an over 90-year-old colonial mansion making it one of the oldest structures in Ouidah.
The museum is run by the daughter of the ex-prime minister of Benin. Zinsou Foundation museum has pieces of artworks from conceptual to traditional artworks from different African artists.

The museum has different parts:

Art Centre: Zinsou Foundation is an art exhibition centre with different artworks from top artists in Benin and Africa.
Museum: It is a museum for modern and contemporary African artworks.
Library: It also features a library where you can read books on several arts-related topics.
Restaurants: It has an in-house restaurant where you can order traditional or continental dishes.

About Marie Cecile Zinsou – The Founder of Zinsou

Marie Cecile Zinsou is the founder, president of the Foundation Zinsou. She is of Benin and French descent. Marie Cecile Zinsou was born in 1982 to the former prime minister of Benin. She grew up in France and England. Marie Cecile Zinsou is a French art historian, entrepreneur and philanthropist. She created the Zinsou Foundation for Contemporary arts in 2005. It is an art exhibition centre that features works of art from different artists in Africa. The foundation promotes African heritage. Marie created the first contemporary art museum in the Benin Republic.

Facts About Zinsou Foundation Museum

The museum structure was built in 1920
It opened to the Public in 2005
Zinsou Foundation is a two-storey building
It is the first contemporary art museum in Benin
It is the biggest museum in Benin

Things to Do at the Zinsou Foundation Museum, Ouidah

Learn about African artworks
Enjoy the beauty of African artworks
You can also chill in the garden
Visit the library
Order local and continental drinks at the restaurant
Attend one of the yearly exhibitions at the museum
Take beautiful photos at the museum

Artist at the museum

The museum features works of arts from different artists from Africa. Some of the artists includes Frédéric Bruly-Bouabré, Romuald Hazoume, Cyprien Tokoudagba, Jean Michel Basquiat, Mallick Sidibé and Chéri Samba, as well as Zanele Muholi, Ishola Akpo, Sammy Baloji and Aïcha Snoussi. Seyni Awa Camara from Senegal, Esther Malangu from South Afriuca etc.