Third Text

12 March 2026

Pauline de Souza

‘Nigerian Modernism’, Tate Modern, London, 8 October 2025 – 10 May 2026

Installation view of ‘Nigerian Modernism’, with Obiora Udechukwu’s painting Our Journey (1993), Tate Modern, 8 October 2025 – 10 May 2026, image courtesy of Tate Photography (Jai Monaghan)

The ‘Nigerian Modernism’ exhibition at Tate Modern, running from October 2025 to May 2026, brings together the work of fifty-three artists and offers an expansive survey of twentieth-century artistic practice in Nigeria. The exhibition includes painting, sculpture, ceramics and textiles, presenting a wide range of artistic approaches that emerged during the late colonial period and the decades following independence. Curated by Osei Bonsu, the exhibition argues that Nigerian modernism cannot be understood in isolation from global artistic movements. Rather, it developed through a complex dialogue between Indigenous cultural traditions and the Western academic training encountered by many Nigerian artists during the colonial period.

Bonsu has emphasised that Nigerian modernism emerged through what he describes as a ‘dialogue between Indigenous African traditions and Western artistic education’. During the years surrounding Nigerian independence in 1960, artists increasingly sought ways to reconcile academic training with the visual languages of their own cultures. This process became closely associated with the idea of ‘natural synthesis’, a concept developed and championed by the Zaria Art Society. For these artists, natural synthesis offered a means of constructing an artistic language capable of reflecting the cultural diversity of a newly independent nation.

The Zaria Art Society, often referred to as the Zaria Rebels, attempted to redefine the relationship between modernism and African artistic traditions. Rejecting the notion that modern art should simply replicate European models, they argued that Indigenous visual forms could provide the basis for new modern expressions. The exhibition demonstrates how these debates shaped the development of Nigerian modernism and influenced several generations of artists.

Among the most prominent figures represented in the exhibition is Ben Enwonwu, whose work occupies a central place in the history of Nigerian modern art. By the time of his death in 1994 he had frequently been described as the ‘father of Nigerian modernism’. This reputation reflects both the scale of his artistic achievements and his role in articulating a distinctly Nigerian approach to modern artistic practice.

Enwonwu’s early artistic formation was deeply connected to Igbo cultural traditions. His father produced Ozo masks, which were used in masquerade ceremonies, and this early exposure to sculptural practice shaped his understanding of form and symbolism. At the same time, Enwonwu belonged to the Onitsha elite, a privileged social position that provided him with educational opportunities that were unavailable to many of his contemporaries. His initial training took place under the British colonial art educator Kenneth C Murray, who encouraged Nigerian artists to draw inspiration from Indigenous traditions rather than reproducing European academic conventions. Murray believed that African artists should develop modern artistic languages rooted in their own cultural environments. Despite Murray’s reservations about overseas study, Enwonwu later travelled to London to attend the Slade School of Fine Art. The combination of Indigenous influence and European academic training would become a defining feature of his work.

A painting such as The Dancer: Agbogho Mmuo (1962) demonstrates how Enwonwu transformed ritual performance into modern pictorial form. The painting refers to the Agbogho Mmuo masquerade, associated with ideals of feminine beauty within Igbo culture. Although the masquerade represents the spirit of a maiden, the performers are traditionally male. Enwonwu’s interpretation captures the theatrical movement of the dance, presenting the figure in vivid colours and rhythmic motion.

Ben Enwonwu, The Dancer (Agbogho Mmuo – Maiden Spirit Mask), 1962, oil on canvas, 93 x 62 cm, courtesy of the Ben Enwonwu Foundation and Ben Uri Gallery & Museum

Enwonwu’s bronze sculpture Anyanwu (1954–55), created to mark the opening of the Nigerian National Museum, offers another important example. The sculpture invokes the earth goddess Ani and symbolises renewal and cultural continuity. Some commentators have compared the elongated form of the figure to Alberto Giacometti’s sculptures, yet such comparisons risk overlooking the specific aesthetic principles of Igbo art. The flowing lines and rhythmic balance of the sculpture reflect Indigenous artistic traditions rather than simply echoing European modernism.

The exhibition also foregrounds the work of Aina Onabolu, widely regarded as the first West African artist to adopt academic easel painting. Onabolu used portraiture as a means of challenging colonial stereotypes that portrayed African societies as culturally static or backward. His paintings frequently depict Nigerian subjects dressed in contemporary clothing, presenting them as confident participants in modern life. Portrait of an African Man (1955) illustrates the clarity and discipline of Onabolu’s technique. The figure appears dignified and self-possessed, occupying the pictorial space with quiet authority. Through works such as this, Onabolu sought to construct a visual language capable of representing Nigerian identity during a period of colonial rule. Onabolu’s influence extended beyond his own artistic practice. As a secondary school teacher he played an important role in introducing Indigenous artistic practices into educational curricula that had previously prioritised European models. In doing so he helped reshape the foundations of art education in Nigeria.

Aina Onabolu, Portrait of an African Man, 1955, watercolour on board, 48.5 x 38.5 cm, courtesy of Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art, Pan-Atlantic University

A different perspective on Nigerian modernism emerges in the work of the ceramic artist Ladi Kwali. Her ceramics demonstrate the importance of pottery traditions in northern Nigeria and reveal how craft practices could be transformed into recognised forms of artistic expression. Kwali learned pottery techniques from her aunt during childhood and later worked at the Pottery Training Centre established in Abuja during the 1950s. Her vessels were created using coiling techniques and were shaped with a wooden paddle before being decorated with geometric patterns and motifs drawn from the natural world. Fish, snakes and birds frequently appear within these designs. Although pottery had traditionally been regarded as domestic or female labour, Kwali’s work helped redefine the status of ceramics within Nigerian art. The elegance and balance of her vessels demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of Indigenous visual languages, while her later role as an instructor enabled her to transmit these traditions to new generations of artists.

Installation view of ‘Nigerian Modernism’, with Ladi Kwali’s ceramics, Tate Modern, 8 October 2025 – 10 May 2026, image courtesy of Tate Photography (Jai Monaghan)

The exhibition also includes artists associated with the Zaria Art Society and the later development of the Nsukka School. Artists such as Jimoh Akolo and Yusuf Grillo explored ways of combining Western painting techniques with motifs derived from Yoruba and Igbo traditions. Grillo’s paintings are particularly notable for their distinctive blue tonalities and stylised figures.

Another important figure represented in the exhibition is Christopher Uchefuna Okeke, or Uche Okeke, a central member of the Zaria Art Society and later a leading figure in the development of the Nsukka School. Okeke encouraged artists to explore the visual possibilities of uli, a form of body and wall painting traditionally practised by Igbo women. The flowing lines and symbolic motifs of uli provided the foundation for new forms of modern artistic expression. Artists associated with the Nsukka School used these traditions to develop distinctive visual languages that responded to the political and cultural realities of postcolonial Nigeria. Following the Nigerian civil war of 1967–70, many artists sought new ways of expressing trauma, resilience and cultural renewal. Rather than depicting scenes of violence directly, artists frequently turned to symbolic visual languages rooted in Indigenous traditions. Uli motifs, abstract forms and intricate markmaking became ways of reflecting on collective experience and cultural survival.

Christopher Uchefuna Okeke, Fantasy and Masks, c 1960, oil on canvas, 51.5 x 67 cm, courtesy of the University Collections, University of Birmingham, UK

The exhibition also highlights the religious diversity of Nigerian society and the ways in which spiritual traditions influenced artistic production. Islamic visual culture, particularly in northern Nigeria, contributed to the development of distinctive textile patterns and decorative forms. At the same time, Christian imagery became increasingly visible in southern Nigeria during the colonial and postcolonial periods. The interaction between these traditions contributed to a broader understanding of spirituality within Nigerian modernism. Rather than presenting religion as a fixed system of beliefs, many artists approached spirituality as a dynamic presence embedded within everyday life and cultural memory.

Pan-Africanism and the Negritude movement also played important roles in shaping Nigerian modernism. These movements encouraged artists and intellectuals to reconsider African cultural traditions and to challenge colonial assumptions about artistic value. For many Nigerian artists, modernism became a means of articulating a new cultural identity rooted in both local traditions and global exchange. At the same time, the exhibition makes clear that Nigerian modernism cannot be understood simply as a rejection of Western influence. Many artists received formal training in European institutions and engaged critically with modernist techniques developed there. The challenge they faced was not whether to reject Western influence entirely, but how to transform those influences in ways that reflected their own cultural experiences.

This tension between local tradition and global modernism lies at the heart of the exhibition. Nigerian modernism emerged not as a simple imitation of European models but as a complex negotiation between different artistic systems. By bringing together works from multiple generations of artists, the exhibition demonstrates the richness and diversity of Nigerian artistic production during the twentieth century, revealing how artists working in different media and regions responded to similar questions about identity, tradition and modernity.

Ultimately, the exhibition offers a compelling account of how Nigerian artists confronted the legacies of colonialism while seeking new forms of cultural expression. It reminds us that the history of modern art cannot be written solely from a European perspective. Nigerian modernism emerges here as a dynamic and evolving field of artistic experimentation shaped by multiple cultural traditions and historical experiences.

Pauline de Souza is Director of Diversity Art Forum, and has written essays and articles for various publications.