The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art is showcasing works by sculptor and printmaker Bruce Onobrakpeya, considered one the fathers of postcolonial Nigerian modernism. On view June 21 through Jan. 21, 2025, “Bruce Onobrakpeya: The Mask and the Cross” features works by the artist from 1966 through 1978, a period when he completed multiple commissions for the Catholic Church, including his seminal “Fourteen Stations of the Cross” series. The exhibition also recognizes Onobrakpeya’s legacy—inspiring generations of visual artists in Nigeria—with artworks from the museum’s collection that reflect Onobrakpeya’s influence.
“Central to the exhibition ‘Bruce Onobrakpeya: The Mask and the Cross’ lies a profound cultural significance and institutional collaboration,” said guest curator Janine Gaëlle Dieudji. “It not only celebrates the outstanding career of the esteemed artist Dr. Bruce Onobrakpeya, who was the honoree at the National Museum of African Art’s 50th anniversary, but also represents global Africa through the lens of spirituality. The works of artists, whose printmaking practices significantly shaped and advanced contemporary art in Nigeria in the 1960s, further enrich this narrative.”
Blending Christian iconography, Nigerian folklore and West African traditions, Onobrakpeya’s art interprets spiritualism through a global lens. Biblical stories are presented with Nigerian characters and environments, such as the “Passion of Christ” depicting Roman soldiers in British military uniforms and Jesus in Nigerian robes. In an interview with Lauren Tate Baeza, the Fred and Rita Richman Curator of African Art at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Onobrakpeya said that he intended to “bring out what Christ means to our people in a way they can understand.” He synthesized Western influences with traditional African cultures, helping redefine artistic traditions in postcolonial Nigeria.
A section of the exhibition developed exclusively for the National Museum of African Art features works by Onobrakpeya’s contemporaries represented in the museum’s collection. These Nigerian printmakers similarly explore faith and spirituality through the lens of African heritage and mythology. Artist Rufus Ogundele blends his Christian upbringing under the Anglican Christ Mission Society with traditional West African culture, particularly imagery of the Yoruba god of iron Ogun, in his linocuts. The result was a hybrid illustration of Christian stories and Nigerian aesthetics. Four additional printmakers featured in this section include Adebisi Fabunmi, Yinka Adeyemi, Solomon Irein Wangboje and Oluwole Olayemi.
“Seeing Bruce Onobrakpeya’s works in dialogue with his peers reveals the conversational nature of artistic practice—in Nigeria, on the African continent and broadly across time and geographies,” said John K. Lapiana, interim director of the National Museum of African Art. “As the museum celebrates its 60th anniversary, the works and themes in this exhibition reflect many of the ideas that the museum was founded on: exploring cross-cultural influences and perspectives, developing and articulating diverse cultural identities, and presenting the rich variety of African art.”
Originally organized and shown at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta in 2023, this is Onobrakpeya’s first major solo exhibition at a museum in the United States.
