Tate Modern to Host First Major UK Exhibition of Nigerian Modernism in October 2025
Tate Modern is staging the first UK exhibition to trace the development of modern art in Nigeria. Titled Nigerian Modernism, the show presents more than 250 works by over 50 artists from the 1940s to the 1990s, including Ben Enwonwu, Ladi Kwali, Uche Okeke and El Anatsui. It runs from October 8, 2025, to May 10, 2026, at Tate Modern in London and draws loans from institutions and private collections across Africa, Europe and the US. The exhibition is curated by Osei Bonsu and Bilal Akkouche and is presented in partnership with Access Holdings and Coronation Group.
The Signal
The survey positions Nigerian artists within global modernism by showing how they adapted European training and reclaimed Indigenous forms amid decolonization and civil war. For curators and collectors it supplies a benchmark for evaluating works by the Zaria Arts Society, Nsukka Art School and Oshogbo artists that have entered the market in recent years. Corporate sponsorship from Nigerian financial groups also signals sustained institutional and private-sector commitment to African modernist narratives.
- Artists: Ben Enwonwu, El Anatsui, Uche Okeke, Ladi Kwali, Obiora Udechukwu, Uzo Egonu, Aina Onabolu
- People: Osei Bonsu, Bilal Akkouche
- Museums: Tate Modern
- Locations: London
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