African Heritage Documentation & Research Centre (AHDRC) is a non-profit organisation founded in 2016 and based in Brussels, Belgium. The Centre is dedicated to the documentation, preservation, and facilitation of scholarly research on classical sub-Saharan African material heritage.
Central to AHDRC’s activities is a comprehensive online research database that provides access to an extensive photographic archive of African art. This archive comprises both published and unpublished material and currently includes more than 225,000 unique objects. The images are sourced from private and museum collections, art dealers, general archives, and a wide range of existing literature, including scholarly publications, articles, notices, and auction catalogues.
In addition to the photographic archive, AHDRC maintains the most extensive database of individuals associated with classical African art, commonly referred to as the Who’s Who in African Art. This resource contains approximately 20,000 entries and documents artists, collectors, scholars, photographers, dealers, and other figures relevant to the field.
The primary objective of AHDRC is to systematically register and consolidate existing knowledge relating to African cultures and their customs. Given the fragmented nature of this knowledge across institutions, publications, and private holdings, the Centre seeks to provide a centralised and structured point of access for academic research.
The database is intended exclusively for research purposes. By offering access to a broad scholarly audience, AHDRC aims to support and encourage rigorous scientific inquiry and interdisciplinary research.
To ensure the continued expansion and scholarly relevance of the database, AHDRC integrates material from both public-domain sources and private archives. Ongoing development of the platform includes the implementation of advanced research tools, such as workshop identification, origin determination, and the documentation of indigenous nomenclature, in order to support more precise analytical and comparative studies.
AHDRC does not make claims regarding the authenticity of the objects illustrated, irrespective of how authenticity may be defined. The inclusion or exclusion of material is determined solely by AHDRC, and the database may present multiple scholarly interpretations or opinions, reflecting the evolving nature of academic discourse.
AHDRC does not hold copyright or reproduction rights for the images contained in the database. Researchers wishing to publish or otherwise reproduce images are required to seek permission directly from the respective rights holders or photographic sources.
Through an established network of public institutions in Europe and the United States, AHDRC is developing and strengthening collaborative relationships with institutions on the African continent. Drawing on its expertise in archival practice and digital documentation, the Centre seeks to support African institutions by providing technical guidance, assisting with collection documentation, and offering hosting solutions within the AHDRC platform.
Access to the AHDRC database is provided through a subscription-based model, which supports the sustainability of the Centre’s non-profit activities. For private collectors and independent scholars, subscription options include:
- €250 per annum
- €40 per month
- €10 per day
Revenue generated through these subscriptions is reinvested in the ongoing development of the platform, the acquisition of historical archives, and the procurement of new scholarly publications, thereby ensuring the continued growth and academic integrity of the database.