The Facts
On September 16, 2026, the Philadelphia Museum of Art announced the first comprehensive museum survey of print-related work by El Anatsui (b. 1944, Ghana). Titled El Anatsui: Prints and Play, the exhibition will run from December 19, 2026 to May 2, 2027, in the Korman, Field, and Morgan Galleries, featuring more than 90 works created from the 1980s to the present. The show highlights Anatsui's lesser-known printmaking practice, including collaborations with master printers at Brandywine Workshop and Archives in Philadelphia, Factum Arte in Madrid, and Ribuoli Digital in New York. Highlights include When I Last Wrote to You…II (1986), Sage and Charcoal Eclipse (2016), Untitled (Cassava Graters Imprints and Collage) (2016), In the Water (2022), and Terrain (2025). The exhibition is curated by Chika Okeke-Agulu of Princeton University and Heather Hughes of the PMA, with an accompanying catalogue authored by Okeke-Agulu and featuring an interview with the artist and an essay by Hughes.
The Signal
This exhibition underscores a strategic institutional focus on Anatsui's process-driven practice, moving beyond his iconic bottle-cap sculptures to reveal how printmaking has shaped his artistic evolution. For collectors and curators, the show positions Anatsui's editioned prints as significant works in their own right, not mere derivatives of his sculptures, potentially influencing market interest in this under-recognized segment of his oeuvre. The concurrent exhibition at Brandywine Workshop and Archives, with which Anatsui has collaborated since 2017, further cements Philadelphia as a hub for his print output. The catalogue, the first to explore this aspect of his work, adds scholarly weight, making this a landmark moment for understanding Anatsui's multidisciplinary approach.
- Artists: El Anatsui
- People: Daniel Weiss, Chika Okeke-Agulu, Heather A. Hughes
- Museums: Philadelphia Museum of Art, Brandywine Workshop and Archives
- Locations: Philadelphia
The Morning Signal · Daily
Get stories like this in your inbox
The art world in one daily email — auctions, openings, and acquisitions from 90+ primary sources, distilled into a five-minute read. Independent — no marketplace, no gallery ads.
Join collectors, dealers & curators
No spam · free every morning · unsubscribe anytime
The Jobs Digest · Weekly
New art-world jobs, every Monday
The Jobs Digest rounds up the week’s new museum, gallery, and auction-house openings — with salary when disclosed. One email a week, unsubscribe anytime.
