Due in large part to the generosity of Marjorie and Leon Marlowe, Vanderbilt's holdings in African, Oceanic, and Pre-Columbian art have significantly increased in recent years. The relatively unfamiliar aesthetics of these cultures now join and complement those of the West and East Asia as represented in the collection. In contrast to the more well-known traditions of western art, works from these regions served a variety of key functions within a specific social structure, as exemplified by the twin cult statues from the Yoruba people of West Africa. Moreover, the objects convey the distinct ancestral artistic traditions that in some cases have endured with little variation over centuries in these civilizations. The expressive force and history of each artifact serve to challenge standard western notions of art's purpose, the artist-as-genius, and visual representation.

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