Nigerian Modernism 8 October 2025 - 10 May 2026

Tate Modern stages the first UK exhibition to trace the development of modern art in Nigeria. Spanning a period from indirect colonial rule to national independence and beyond, Nigerian Modernism celebrates an international network of artists who combine African and European traditions, creating a vibrant artistic legacy. The exhibition presents the work of over 50 artists across 50 years, from Ben Enwonwu to El Anatsui. They each responded to Nigeria’s evolving political and social landscape by challenging assumptions and imagining new futures, reclaiming Indigenous traditions to create a new African vision of Modernism. Featuring more than 250 works, including painting, sculpture, textile, ceramics and works on paper from institutions and private collections across Africa, Europe and the US, Tate Modern offers a rare opportunity to encounter the creative forces who revolutionised modern art in Nigeria.

The exhibition begins in the 1940s amid calls for decolonisation across Africa and its diaspora. With the Nigerian education system under British governance, many artists train in Britain, adopting European artistic techniques and witnessing Western modernism’s fixation on African art. The balance between Nigeria’s Indigenous traditions, colonial realities and calls for independence is evident in the practices of artists, many of whom become involved in arts education and reform. Aina Onabolu pioneered new figurative portraits of Lagos society figures, whilst Akinola Lasekan depicted scenes from Yoruba legends and history. Globally celebrated artists of the period, Ben Enwonwu and Ladi Kwali, combined their Western training with Nigerian visual art traditions. Drawing upon his knowledge of Igbo sculpture, Enwonwu adapted his Slade School education to celebrate the beauty of Black and African culture. Meanwhile, Kwali who trained under British potter Michael Cardew at Pottery Training Centre in Abuja, developed a new style of ceramic art that synthesised traditional Gwarri techniques and European studio pottery.

National independence on 1 October 1960 inspired a sense of optimism throughout the country, with artistic groups creating art for a new nation. The exhibition explores the legacy of The Zaria Arts Society, whose members included Uche Okeke, Demas Nwoko, Yusuf Grillo, Bruce Onobrakpeya and Jimo Akolo. Encouraged by teachers like Clara Etso Ugbodaga-Ngu, they developed independent creative styles centred around a concept of ‘Natural Synthesis’, merging Indigenous forms with modern expression. In the 1960s amid an economic boom, Lagos became a dynamic cultural hub, inspiring tropical modernist architecture, public art commissions and nightclubs filled with Highlife music. Meanwhile in Ibadan, The Mbari Artists’ and Writers’ Club founded by German publisher Ulli Beier, offered a discursive space run by an international group of artists, writers and dramatists including Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, and Malangatana Ngwenya. The Mbari Club is closely associated with the influential Pan-African modernist journal Black Orpheus, which is displayed at Tate Modern.

During this period, many artists reflected on Nigeria’s rich cultural and religious heritage as home to more than 250 ethnic groups. The late 1950s saw the emergence of the New Sacred Art Movement, founded by Austrian born artist Susanne Wenger who drew on Yoruba deities and beliefs to explore the ritual power of art. The group led the restoration of the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove where ancient shrines were adorned with cement sculptures and carvings. In parallel, The Oshogbo Art School emerged out of series of influential workshops at Duro Ladipo’s Popular Bar providing a space for experimentation among untrained artists and performers including Nike Davies-Okundaye, Jacob Afolabi and Twins Seven Seven who explored Yoruba cultural identity and personal mythologies in their work.

The outbreak of the Nigerian Civil War in 1967 caused a cultural and political crisis for many artists. The post-independence feeling of optimism and unity is replaced with division, and later a desire to reconnect across Nigeria’s diverse ethnic groups. The exhibition highlights the revival of ‘uli’ - linear Igbo designs which can be decorative or represent natural elements and everyday objects. Historically passed down between women, artists like Uche Okeke who had inherited this knowledge from his mother, and those from the Nsukka Art School including Obiora Udechukwu, Tayo Adenaike and Ndidi Dike, adapted this visual language as a modernist art form, reclaiming an element of ancestral culture and reflecting on the struggles of conflict during the Nigerian Civil War.

The exhibition concludes with a spotlight on Uzo Egonu, exploring how artists towards the end of the 20th century respond to global Nigerian identities. Living in Britain since the 1940s, Egonu’s work was informed by his perspective as an expatriate, imbuing his work with childhood memories and feelings of nostalgia, as well as responses to current events observed from overseas. The exhibition brings together Egonu’s Stateless People paintings, the first time these works have been reunited in 40 years. Begun in 1980, the series reflects on nationhood and cultural identity. Depicting a single figure in each painting – a musician, artist and writer – Egonu represents the growing visibility of Nigeria’s diaspora around the world. The series sums up the tension between national identity and artistic independence which shapes Nigeria’s story of modern art.

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Nigerian Modernism is in partnership with Access Holdings and Coronation Group. Supported by Ford Foundation, The A. G. Leventis Foundation, and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. With additional support from the Nigerian Modernism Exhibition Supporters Circle, Tate International Council, Tate Patrons and Tate Americas Foundation. Curated by Osei Bonsu, who was recently appointed as Jorge M. Pérez Senior Curator, International Art, Africa and Diaspora; and Bilal Akkouche, Assistant Curator, International Art, Tate Modern.

Tate Members get unlimited free entry to all Tate exhibitions. Become a Member at tate.org.uk/members. Everyone aged 16-25 can visit all Tate exhibitions for £5 by joining Tate Collective. To join for free, visit tate.org.uk/tate-collective.

Listings information

Nigerian Modernism
8 October 2025 – 10 May 2026
Tate Modern, Bankside, SE1 9TG
Open daily 10.00–18.00, and until 21.00 every Friday and Saturday
Tickets available at tate.org.uk and +44(0)20 7887 8888
Free for Members.
Join at tate.org.uk/members
Follow @Tate #NigerianModernism

List of artists

Jonathan Adagogo Green, Tayo Adenaike, Jacob Afolabi, Adebisi Akanji, Justus D. Akeredolu, Jimo Akolo, El Anatsui, Chike C. Aniakor, Abayomi Barber, Georgina Beier, Alexander “Skunder” Boghossian, Jimoh Buraimoh, Avinash Chandra, Nike Davies-Okundaye, Ndidi Dike, Uzo Egonu, Ibrahim El-Salahi, Afi Ekong, Erhabor Emokpae, Ben Enwonwu, Sir Jacob Epstein, Clara Etso Ugbodaga-Ngu, Okpu Eze, Adebisi Fabunmi, Agboola Folarin, Buraimoh Gbadamosi, Sàngódáre Gbádégesin Àjàlá, Yusuf Grillo, Felix Idubor, Solomon Irein Wangboje, Ladi Kwali, Akinola Lasekan, Jacob Lawrence, Valente Malangatana, Naoko Matsubara, Demas Nwoko, Olu Oguibe, Rufus Ogundele, J.D Ojeikere, Emmanuel Okechukwu Odita, Simon Okeke, Uche Okeke, Olowe of Ise, Asiru Olatunde, Lamidi Olonade Fakeye, Oseloka Okwudili Osadebe, Aina Onabolu, Bruce Onobrakpeya, Ben Osawe, Muraina Oyelami, Ru van Rossem, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Gerard Sekoto, Twins Seven Seven, Ahmad Shibrain, F.N. Souza, Ada Udechukwu, Obiora Udechukwu and Susanne Wenger.

Related publications

Nigerian Modernism
Edited by Osei Bonsu
Hardback £45, Paperback £32
Set against the backdrop of cultural and artistic rebellion, this is a fascinating exploration of the artists who revolutionised modern art in Nigeria. Through their inventive and dynamic approach to art making, Nigerian artists challenged common assumptions and colonial narratives of African art within a global history of modernism. The book presents an historical overview of artistic perspectives with over 300 works by more than 50 artists spanning the period from 1945 to 1995. They include Akinola Lasekan, Ben Enwonwu, Ladi Kwali, Clara Ugbodaga-Ngu, Bruce Onobrakpeya, Uche Okeke, and Obiora Udechukwu.

Related events

Yinka Shonibare and Sir Ben Okri in Conversation
Thursday 9 October, 18.30–20.00
£15 / Members £13
Acclaimed artist Yinka Shonibare and Booker Prize-winning writer Sir Ben Okri come together for a compelling discussion on how Nigerian Modernism continues to shape art, literature, and institutions. They’ll reflect on the movement’s enduring influence from its post-independence spirit of experimentation to its presence in contemporary practice. The conversation will be chaired by Nigerian Modernism exhibition curator Osei Bonsu.

At the Corner Bar, the evening features Olukemi Lijadu (Kem Kem), a visual and sound artist who explores music as a living archive of communal memory, and Bunmi Fabode, an archivist and independent researcher whose work connects political science, textiles, and cultural histories. Her recent publication in Fashion Theory examines textiles as both national archives and metaphors for social cohesion.

Tate Modern Late
Friday 31 October, 18.00 – 22.00
Free Celebrate Nigerian Modernism at Tate Modern Lates with a programme of music, performance, workshops, conversation, food and late-night exhibition access. Featuring music curated by FF Projects whose programme celebrates contemporary Nigerian culture, exploring how Nigerian Modernism’s legacy continues to shape today’s sounds and cultural expression. Plus, hands-on workshops from artist Chiizii and conversations on Nigerian diaspora fashion and style in the Starr Cinema.

About Access Holdings

Access Holdings is a financial holding company licensed and regulated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. The Company hosts the Access Bank Group, which operates across 24 countries, 3 continents, and serves over 60 million customers. Access Holdings, through its subsidiaries also offers pensions and retirement benefits, asset management, investment brokerage, technology, and other financial services. The Group has enjoyed Africa’s most successful banking growth trajectory since the turn of the millennium and strives to support businesses that demonstrate a clear commitment to growth, sustainability, and long-term value.

About Coronation Group

Coronation Group, one of Africa’s leading financial services conglomerates, operates primarily in the insurance, asset management, and merchant banking sectors. Headquartered in Nigeria, the company has evolved into a multifaceted financial powerhouse, seamlessly integrating its core businesses through cutting-edge technology to serve both individual and corporate clients across Africa.

Coronation is a trusted partner, providing transformational solutions through the deep expertise of highly skilled professionals. As custodians of Africa’s financial and cultural wealth, Coronation Group is committed to the democratisation of African art, cultivating a more inclusive environment where diverse perspectives can flourish, making art more accessible to a broader audience and breaking down barriers to education, and cultural capital.

Coronation’s commitment extends to direct cultural initiatives, such as the Coronation Art Gallery - a dedicated space for the appreciation of African art – alongside high-impact partnerships with museums and cultural organisations in Nigeria and beyond. Together, these efforts underscore the Group’s dedication to safeguarding heritage, strengthening identity, and building legacies that endure.