Paul and Mary Rosen Collection, Circa 1900-2000
Collection context
Summary
- Creator:
- Rosen, Paul, 1938-
- Rosen, Mary Sue, 1944-
- Extent:
- 65 Objects
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
Paul and Mary Rosen Collection, African American Research Library and Cultural Center, Broward County Library.
Background
- Scope and content:
The Paul and Mary Rosen Collection contains 65 objects including masks, currency, figures, and other objects from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Mali, Gabon, Zaire, Tanzania, Cameroon, Angola, Ivory Coast, and Liberia dating to the 20th century.
- Biographical / historical:
Paul Peter Rosen (1938-) and Mary Sue Rosen (1944-) are collectors of African art and artifacts. Dr. Paul Rosen worked at Memorial Sloan Kettering Institute in New York City. He was also a professor of Pathology at Weill Cornell Medical College from 1984 to 2010. In 2010, he became Professor Emeritus of Pathology after his retirement from full time teaching. Mary teaches at The New School in the Writing Program.
Dr. and Mrs. Rosen travelled to African countries such as Ghana and Mali to collect artifacts. Together they have written exhibition catalogs of their collections of masks, sculptures, puppets, pottery and textiles. Their publications include "The colorful Sogo Bò puppets of Mali" (2012), "Masks from West and Central Africa: a celebration of color & form" (2013), and "Emblems of power: Asafo flags from Ghana" (2013). In 2002, the Rosens donated a portion of their African mask and sculpture collection to the African American Research Library and Cultural Center. They donated a second and third installment in 2003.
- Acquisition information:
- Paul and Mary Rosen donated the materials to the African American Research Library and Cultural Center Special Collections in 2002 and 2003 (Accession AARLCC-2003.38).
- Processing information:
Descriptions of artifacts were provided by donors at the time of donation to the African American Research Library and Cultural Center. Descriptive information in brackets is supplied by archivist.
Item dimensions are length x depth x height and measured in inches.
This collection received item level processing by Emily Calderon in July 2023. Additional items were processed and the finding aid updated by Erin Purdy in April 2026. This finding aid may be updated to reflect new descriptions as well as acquisitions to the collection.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
Access and use
- Restrictions:
The Paul and Mary Rosen Collection is open for research.
- Preferred citation:
Paul and Mary Rosen Collection, African American Research Library and Cultural Center, Broward County Library.
- Location of this collection:
-
African American Research Library and Cultural Center, Broward County Library2650 Sistrunk BoulevardFort LauderdaleFL33311USA
