Nigerian artworks from the Giachetti Arte collection.

The exhibition ‘Towards Modernity: From Ritual Art to Figurative Art in Nigeria’ is a journey of discovery through the spirits, myths and legends of Nigeria’s vast and multi-ethnic traditional culture, right up to the threshold of modernity, featuring works by a true pioneer of modern art in Africa alongside those of other internationally recognised contemporary Nigerian artists.

The exhibition begins with the ancient Nok culture, dating back more than 2,000 years, and continues with objects belonging to various ethnic groups, the production of which is estimated to have begun around 1400. At the heart of the first part of the exhibition are Yoruba wooden statues and masks, created for religious or commemorative purposes, alongside Ife bronze heads, Benin bronzes and everyday objects.

Moving on, the exhibition turns to figurative art with a series of works by Twins Seven Seven (1944–2011), a pioneering figure in Nigerian decorative art, whose artistic name honours the fact that he was the sole survivor of seven sets of twins. His works can now be admired at MoMA in New York and the Tate Gallery in London. In 2005, he was recognised as a UNESCO Artist for Peace.