The collection of African art objects, together with the remarkable collection of Greek and Italian excavated artefacts, are the principal attraction of the Milan Museum. What sets these exhibits apart is their didactic and art historical value, as well as the originality with which the items are displayed.

The art historical value of these collections is due to their origin. They were the teaching collections of a renowned school of painting founded in Dresden, Germany, in 1906 by the Kurau and Matthaes families.The "African" collection of this school (38 of the 300 pieces displayed in 6 rooms) was put together in the years between 1906 and 1926, when the city, famous for its artistic traditions, was the capital of modern European painting.

The originality of the Milan museum exhibit is that the art objects are displayed in their original context, with a reconstruction of scenes from everyday African life: the social status of women, their tools, motherhood, wedding gifts, the cult of the dead, masks for dancing and commanding obedience, musical instruments, hunters, the men's meeting-house, figures carved in wood to serve as companions for life,etc...