This year marks the 25th anniversary of the National Museum of African Art as part of the Smithsonian Institution. The museum has kicked off the celebration with “Treasures,” an exhibit featuring 73 masks and wooden sculptures from the museum’s collections and private loans.

The first in a new series, “Treasures” is an “old-fashioned” kind of exhibit, one without lengthy wall labels explaining the specific cultural context for the objects. Instead, the exhibit invites you to look closely at the well-crafted masks and sculpture and appreciate them for their aesthetic qualities and pure beauty.

When we visited the exhibit, DCist was particularly impressed by the masks in the second gallery (we really liked the mask at left, by the Nuna peoples). Though most of the objects in the show are behind plexiglass, look closely and you can see how the objects have been repaired over the years (in one case, with copper staples) or lovingly polished over and over.

The vibrant colors the museum staff painted the galleries — rich orange and our favorite green — as well as the African music played in the galleries provide a great backdrop to the objects on view. And with three galleries of objects, the show is sizable but not overwhelming.

You can read more about the exhibit and see photos of the objects here.

“Treasures” is on view until Aug. 15. When you stop by, be sure to visit “Textures — Word & Symbol in Contemporary African Art” (through Sept. 4) as well.