largest public collection of African contemporary art in Europe for the long term. Naming The saying Iwalewa is borrowed from the language of the Yoruba, one of the three major ethnic groups in south-west Nigeria. Translated literally, Iwalewa means “character is beauty“. The term Iwa stands for the “good character“, although the original meaning of Iwa can be translated as “existence“. History The house opened its doors on November 27, 1981, as a support for the Africa focus of the University of Bayreuth. The aim was to introduce a broader public to non-European arts and culture. Founder and first head of Iwalewahaus from 1981 to 1985 was Ulli Beier (1922–2011). Beier was a noted connoisseur of Nigeria’s arts and culture. When Beier moved to Papua New Guinea in 1985, Ronald Ruprecht became director of the house. From 1989 to 1996 the house again was under the aegis of Ulli Beier. From 1997 to 2001 Iwalewahaus was directed by Till Förster. When Förster moved to the University of Basel, Tobias Wendl became new director. After Wendl was offered a chair at the Free University of Berlin Iwalewahaus has been directed by Ulf Vierke and Nadine Siegert as Deputy Director since 2010. Building From 1981 until the end of 2013 the domicile of Iwalewahaus was a former mint ("Markgräfliche Münze"), a sandstone building protected as an historic monument from the 18th century. In November 2013 Iwalewahaus moved to its new residence at Wölfelstraße 2. This building was built in 1907 for the Bavarian state’s bank in Oberfranken. During the 1970s the building was adopted by the forestry office and finally used by the surveyor’s office and the building authorities. Including the basement and loft, the structure offers nearly 2,300 square meters for offices and space for exhibitions and the archive. References University of Bayreuth Art museums and galleries in Germany