Descriptive Entry

This accession consists of the personal papers of Warren M. Robbins, founder and director of the Museum of African Art which became a part of the Smithsonian Institution in 1979 and was later renamed the National Museum of African Art. The records document his early life growing up in Worchester, Massachusetts; his work in the Foreign Service; his work at the Museum of African and the National Museum of African Art; his lectures and interviews regarding African art; and his personal relationships with a variety of individuals including Saul Bellow, Maya Angelou, Chaim Gross, S. I. Hayakawa, Frances Humphrey Howard, Hubert H. Humphrey, and Raphael Soyer. Materials include correspondence, memoranda, publications, lectures, audiovisual materials, images, clippings, and other related materials. Some materials are in German and French.