Tate Modern to Host Landmark ‘Nigerian Modernism’ Exhibition: Bruce Onobrakpeya, UNESCO Living Human Treasure, Among Distinguished Attendees

London, UK — October 2025

Words by Mudiare Onobrakpeya, photographs by Selma Etareri

The global art world is set to converge at Tate Modern, London , for the opening of Nigerian Modernism, a groundbreaking exhibition celebrating the visionaries who redefined modern art from West Africa. Running from 8 October 2025 to 10 May 2026, the exhibition will showcase over 250 seminal works drawn from public and private collections worldwide.

Nigerian Modernism illuminates the bold and diverse creative expressions that emerged in Nigeria before and after independence, highlighting how artists forged new visual languages that bridged indigenous traditions and global modernist movements. The exhibition features legendary figures such as Bruce Onobrakpeya, Ben Enwonwu, Uche Okeke, Ladi Kwali, and El Anatsui , among others—artists whose works continue to shape global understandings of modernism.

In attendance at the opening will be Prof. Bruce Onobrakpeya, Nigeria’s foremost printmaker and sculptor, honoured by UNESCO as a Living Human Treasure. Also gracing the event are Chief Jimoh Buraimoh and Muraino Oyelami, both pioneering artists of the Osogbo Art Movement, whose enduring contributions to Nigerian art history have inspired generations.

The exhibition, supported by Access Holdings and Coronation Group, positions Nigeria at the heart of the global modernist conversation. Through sculpture, painting, ceramics, and experimental printmaking, Nigerian Modernism tells a story of resilience, innovation, and identity—offering a vivid testament to the enduring power of African creativity on the world stage.

Words by Mudiare Onobrakpeya. All Photographs – credit – Selma Etareri. Selma Etareri is a Ceramics artist from Austria. She lives and works in Austria.