Tekle, Afewerk (1932–2012)
Afewerk Tekle was Ethiopia’s leading modern artist, famously known for introducing Western techniques of painting and sculpture to Ethiopia, and for his government commissions under…
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Desta, Gebre Kristos (1932–1981)
Gebre Kristos Desta was one of the most influential artists to emerge from the Addis Ababa Fine Arts School in Ethiopia in the 1960s. Best…
Boghossian, Alexander (Skunder) (1937–2003)
Alexander Boghossian, better known as Skunder, was one of the most prominent figures of African modernism. Born in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia in 1937 to…
Nagdi, Omar el- (1931--)
Omar el-Nagdi began his art education at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cairo and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1953. He received a…
Naghi, Mohamed Musa (1888–1956)
The painter Mohamed Naghi is remembered today alongside Mahmoud Mukhtar (1891–1934) and Mahmoud Said (1897–1964) as one of the core members of the so-called first…
Berlin Conference (1884–1885)
The Berlin Conference of 1884–1885 ushered in what became known as the ‘New Imperialism’. While the first waves of European expansion had focused on the…
Mussolini, Benito (1883–1945)
Known as Il Duce (the Leader), the son of a Marxist blacksmith, Benito Mussolini was the ruler of Fascist Italy (1922–43). A master of populist…
Mass Dance
The early years of the twentieth century saw a proliferation of mass spectacles and events on a grand scale with thousands of participants, which frequently…
Gumilev, Nikolai (ГУМИЛЕВ, НИКОЛАЙ) (1886–1921)
Nikolai Gumilev was a Russian writer known for his poetry, translations, and literary criticism. He is also remembered as the founder of the Acmeist movement,…
Naita, Maria (1968--)
Known for her prolific and consistent career, Maria Naita has distinguished herself as not only a major player in Uganda’s sculpture scene, but also as…
Rice, Elmer (1892–1967)
Born Elmer Reizenstein in New York City on September 28, 1892, Elmer Rice’s career spanned nearly fifty years. He wrote over fifty plays, including collaborations…
Walker, Aida Overton (1880–1914)
Aida Overton Walker (born Ada Wilmore Overton) was one of the first female African-American stars of vaudeville, and perhaps the first to be recognized as…
Makerere Art School
The Makerere Art School started informally in Mulago, Kampala, Uganda, in 1937, with a handful of students who turned up one evening at the porch…
Nnaggenda, Francis (1936--)
From an early age, Francis Nnaggenda knew he wanted to be an artist. Born in 1936, Nnaggenda was raised in rural Uganda where he became…
Berlin Conference (1884–1885) [REVISED AND EXPANDED]
The Berlin West Africa Conference of 1884–5, as it was called, ushered in what became known as the New Imperialism. While the first waves of…
Marinetti, Filippo Tommaso (1876–1944)
Filippo Tommaso Marinetti was founder and leader of Futurism, the first intellectual and artistic movement that explicitly defined the codes of avant-garde practice in the…
Dunham, Katherine Mary (1909–2006)
As a choreographer, anthropologist, educator, and activist, Katherine Dunham transformed the field of dance in the twentieth century. In the mid-1930s she conducted anthropological research…