Out of Africa: the Graham Foundation investigates sub-Saharan Modernism

We may all know our Le Corbusier from our Mies van der Rohe, but when it comes to modernist masterpieces in the African continent, there is an impressive body of work from that era that often gets unfairly overlooked. The Graham Foundation is set to change this, with its new exhibition, 'Architecture of Independence: African Modernism', opening today in its handsome Chicago townhouse base.
The architecture exhibition focuses on the international style's journey through sub-Saharan Africa, especially looking into the 1960s and 1970s. Today the continent has a rich – and complex – history and legacy of modern buildings, explain the organizers. Most architects that helped build this heritage were from Europe, while only a handful of them were local, including Senegalese architects Cheikh N'Gom and Pierre Goudiaby Atepa.
Exploring the theme using some 80 buildings from different countries and especially commissioned photography by Iwan Baan and Alexia Webster, this exhibition travels through Ghana, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, and Zambia. Many of these young nations gained their independence in the 1960s, calling upon the teachings of modernist architecture to help them express their brand new identities.
Works span from sports facilities, offices and administrative structures, to cultural buildings, banks, housing and convention centers; some are in use, some have been adapted and some remain currently unused. These are depicted through a striking over-700 photographs as well as archival material, including historic photos, newspaper clippings, postcards, videos, architectural plans, and sketches.
This is a landmark show for the foundation, casting the net far and wide into what organizers describe as 'the most compelling yet under-studied examples of 1960s and 1970s architecture worldwide'.
This exhibition is based on the book project African Modernism: Architecture of Independence by architect Manuel Herz, created in cooperation with the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, Germany.
Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi, Kenya by Karl Henrik Nostvik, 1967-73.
La Pyramide in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire by Rinaldo Olivieri, 1973.
School of Engineering at KNUST (Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology) in Kumasi, Ghana by James Cubitt, 1956.
Stadium at KNUST (Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology) in Kumasi, Ghana by the KNUST Development Office, 1964-67.
Independence Arch by the Public Work Departments in Accra, Ghana, 1961.
Mfantsipim School in Cape Coaste, Ghana by Fry, Drew and Partners, 1958.
FIDAK - Foire Internationale de Dakar in Senegal by Jean Francois Lamoureux and Jean-Louis Marin, 1974.
INFORMATION
For more information on the Graham Foundation visit the website
’Architecture of Independence: African Modernism’ is on show from 29th January to 9th April 2016
ADDRESS
The Graham Foundation
Madlener House
4 West Burton Place
Chicago, Illinois 60610
USA
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Introducing the design-led Split Watches, a force for good
Good design is given a charitable spin by Split Watches – for every one sold, the company donates an hour of therapy
-
Meet the New York-based artists destabilising the boundaries of society
A new show in London presents seven young New York-based artists who are pushing against the borders between refined aesthetics and primal materiality
-
Inside a Montana house, putting the American West's landscape at its heart
A holiday house in the Montana mountains, designed by Walker Warner Architects and Gachot Studios, scales new heights to create a fresh perspective on communing with the natural landscape
-
Love, community, anti-gay laws: the queer African artists redefining visibility through portraits
In honour of Pride Month, Ugonnaora Owoh speaks to three artists on African queer legacies and their optimism in advocating for queer rights through art
-
Remembering Koyo Kouoh, the Cameroonian curator due to lead the 2026 Venice Biennale
Kouoh, who died this week aged 57, was passionate about the furtherance of African art and artists, and also contributed to international shows, being named the first African woman to curate the Venice Biennale
-
Inside Yinka Shonibare's first major show in Africa
British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare is showing 15 years of work, from quilts to sculptures, at Fondation H in Madagascar
-
This rainbow-coloured flower show was inspired by Luis Barragán's architecture
Modernism shows off its flowery side at the New York Botanical Garden's annual orchid show.
-
Don’t miss these artists at 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair 2024
As the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair returns to London (10-13 October 2024), here are the artists to see
-
Mona Kuhn’s love affair with Rudolph Schindler’s modernist LA home
‘The Schindler House: A Love Affair’ features artist Mona Kuhn’s surreal-inspired silver prints evoking an impossible love
-
How Amy Sall is highlighting the beauty of African cinema
Amy Sall is highlighting the cultural impact of African filmmakers with ‘The African Gaze: Photography, Cinema and Power’, published by Thames & Hudson
-
Ghana’s artists celebrated in new book by Manju Journal
‘Voices: Ghana’s artists in their own words’, from Manju Journal, celebrates 80 Ghanaian creatives