Three Generations of Ethiopian Artists - Harn Museum of Art

Continuity and Change: Three Generations of Ethiopian Artists
Harn Museum of Art - University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
www.harn.ufl.edu

January 23, 2007 - April 29, 2007

This exhibition tells the story of modern and contemporary art in Ethiopia from the 1940s to the present and explores the role of government support of artists as part of a purposeful strategy for modernization of Ethiopia. The exhibition also examines the influence of the School of Fine Arts in Addis Ababa, one of Africa's leading art academies. In particular, Continuity and Change focuses on those artists who were and are active in Addis Ababa within the context of the political and social upheavals of twentieth-century Ethiopia. Artists active in Addis Ababa are still largely unknown outside Ethiopia and a narrow circle of international curators and collectors. Continuity and Change will introduce a number of these artists to U.S. audiences for the first time. Of the 23 artists in the exhibition, 20 are still living and active as artists. The exhibition is organized by Harn Director Rebecca Martin Nagy and North Carolina Central University Professor Achamyeleh Debela. Made possible by Northern Trust Bank.