Masks from all over the world

This section invites the visitor to discover the masking practices of the whole world. The journey takes you from the winterfeasts of Europe to the enigmatic ceremonies of North and Latin America and from the mysterious customs of Africa to the fascinating traditions of Asia and Oceania.

The geographical division according to continents permits to highlight the masks’ diversity, but also to show certain tendencies and similarities.

The introductory space provides a definition of the mask inviting the visitor to take a closer look at he ambiguity inherent to this object continuously vacillating between universality and particularity. Different types of masks are displayed and one of the showcases contains materials used for mask making which can be touched by the visitor.

The tour includes five more rooms, one per continent. The journey starts in Africa, then continues to Asia, America and Oceania and finally ends in Europe.

In total, 200 key pieces of the Museum’s collections are on display in this exhibition.

INFO : The International Carnival and Mask Museum will be celebrating its 50th anniversary on 13 June 2025. To mark the occasion, this part of the Museum will be completely renewed to make way for new masks, costumes and accessories. We encourage all our visitors to explore this section before it closes for good on 31 October 2024. The reopening in June 2025 will unveil a renewed exhibition, incorporating never-before-seen pieces and a modern scenography, to provide an immersive and enriching experience for our visitors. Find out more