His first trip to Africa to acquire work was in 1970. Since then, he has gone back dozens of times, always returning with the finest, museum-quality collectables, including masks, statues, and other objects. Beyond just obtaining the pieces he felt had the most artistic significance, Matros lived with the villagers and developed a rapport with the tribal elders. In turn he was able to obtain from them their finest pieces. This one-to-one relationship also nurtured his understanding of the art’s significance, both to the tribes on the African continent, as well as to museums and collectors in the Western world.

To share these works with the art community, Matros curated a private gallery in New York City’s Ansonia Hotel, catering only to museums and the world’s most discriminating collectors.