Erle Loran began collecting African art in 1926 during his first year in Paris and has built one of the most important collections in the United States. He continued collecting tribal arts in 1930s from various sources, but later concentrated on African sculpture. He has donated works to The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, which will ultimately house his entire collection. He was associated with the art department of the University of California at Berkeley from 1936 until his retirement as a professor in 1972.
