Ablade Glover
Described by Bonhams London as one of the fathers of modern African art, Professor Ablade Glover (b. 1934, Accra, Ghana) stands as one of the continent’s most influential and pioneering artists. Over a career spanning more than six decades, he has played a vital role in shaping the trajectory of contemporary African art, both as a painter and as an educator. His work is held in major collections worldwide, and at 91 years old, his legacy continues to inspire generations of artists across Africa.
Glover was a student at the College of Art in Kumasi in 1957 when Ghana became the first sub-Saharan African country to gain independence from colonial rule. Under the leadership of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the new government championed a vision that embraced both traditional Ghanaian identity and modern education. Nkrumah encouraged young artisans to study abroad and return to Ghana, where they would pass on their skills through apprenticeship and mentorship, helping to build a modern African nation grounded in its own cultural values.
Awarded a scholarship to study textile design at London’s Central School of Art and Design, Glover returned to Ghana to discover that the textile factory he was meant to join had not yet been built. After completing a short teaching contract, he was granted a second scholarship—this time personally endorsed by President Nkrumah—to study Art Education at Newcastle University. Glover later earned a master’s degree at Kent State University and a doctorate at Ohio University in 1974.
He returned to Ghana to dedicate the next two decades to teaching at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, where he rose to become both Head of Department and Dean of the College of Art. Following his retirement from academia in 1994, Glover focused fully on painting while also pursuing a long-held dream to support and promote emerging African artists. In 1993, he founded the Artist Alliance Gallery in Accra, and in 2007, using private funds, he built a landmark three-storey arts complex on Accra’s oceanfront to house the gallery and a training centre.
Glover remains deeply committed to his country and continent. As both an artist and mentor, he has dedicated his life to creative expression, education, and cultural empowerment—leaving an indelible mark on African art history.
Country • Ghana
Medium • oil on canvas
FIRST EXHIBITION WITH CHRISTOPHER MOLLER GALLERY • 2016
Explore his Work
Previous exhibitions by Ablade Glover
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024 Inner Worlds, Outer Journeys, October Gallery, London, U.K
2022 88, Still At It, Christopher Moller Gallery South Africa. The Passage of Time, Hourglass Gallery, Lagos, Nigeria
2019 Wogbe Jeke - We Have Come a Long Way, October Gallery, London, UK Professor Ablade Glover: The Last 20 Years and Beyond, Gallery 1957, Accra, Ghana
2017 - JPK Gallery, Paris, France
2016 INDIVISIBLE: Ablade Glover, Christopher Moller Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa
2014 80th Anniversary, October Gallery, London, UK. 2013 Art Dubai, Nubuke Foundation, Dubai, UAE.
2013 - Art Dubai, Dubai, UAE, with Nubuke Foundation, Accra, Ghana
2009 75th Anniversary, October Gallery, London, UK.
2001 - Ablade Glover: New Works by the Renowned Ghanaian Artist, October Gallery, London, UK
2000 - Galerie Arts Pluriels (now LouiSimone Guirandou Gallery), Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
1999 - Ablade Glover: New Works, October Gallery, London, UK
1998 - City Hall, Toronto and City Hall, Hamilton, Canada (touring)
1995 - Ablade Glover, October Gallery, London, UK
1991 - Biz Art Gallery, Geneva, Switzerland
1990 - Galerie Arts Pluriels (now LouiSimone Guirandou Gallery), Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
1989 - British Council, Accra, Ghana
1987 - Ablade Glover: Recent Oil Paintings, October Gallery, London, UK
1986 Galerie Go, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
1984 UCLA International Students Centre, Los Angeles, USA Ablade Glover, October Gallery, London, UK 1983 - The Commonwealth Institute, London, UK 1982 Hotel Mammy Yoko, Freetown, Sierra Leone Africa Centre, London, UK Ablade Glover, October Gallery, London, UK 1982 Africa Centre, London, UK. Hotel Mammy Yoko, Freetown, Sierra Leone.
1972 Art Centre, Accra, Ghana 1970 Art Centre, Accra, Ghana
1968 Art Centre, Accra, Ghana 1963 Art Centre, Accra, Ghana
SELECTED GROUP SHOWS
2023 RMB Latitudes Art Fair, Johannesburg, South Africa with Christopher Moller Gallery
Investec Cape Town Art Fair, Cape Town, South Africa, with Christopher Moller Gallery
1-54 Art Fair, LouiSimone Guirandou Gallery, New York (USA)
2022 Autumn Is Fresh, Christopher Moller Gallery
The Sown Seed, Efiɛ Gallery, Dubai (UAE)
2021 Painting Unbound: Artists of the Transvangarde, October Gallery, London, UK
The Magic of Crowds, Hourglass Gallery, Lagos Nigeria Centre, Los Angeles, USA.
2020 1-54 Art Fair, La Mamounia Marrakech, Morroco with Louisimone Guirandou Gallery
2019 - Dream No Small Dream: Celebrating 40 Years of the Transvangarde, October Gallery, London, UK
2017 Investec Cape Town Art Fair, Cape Town, South Africa, with October Gallery, London, UK
2016 - FNB Joburg Art Fair, Johannesburg, South Africa with Christopher Moller Gallery 2016
Winter Collective, Tasneem Gallery, Barcelona, Spain Art16, London, UK with October Gallery, London, UK
2015 - Investec Cape Town Art Fair, Cape Town, South Africa with Christopher Moller Gallery Africa Africa,
Museu Afro Brazil, São Paulo, Brazil
1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, Somerset House, London, UK, with October Gallery, London, UK
2014 - 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, Somerset House, London, UK, with October Gallery, London, UK
2012 - Transmission Part 2, Tasneem Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
2011 - FNB Joburg Art Fair, Johannesburg, South Africa, with October Gallery, London, UK
2010 - I See You, Tasneem Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
2009 - FNB Joburg Art Fair, Johannesburg, South Africa, with October Gallery, 2008 London, UK 2008 Visions & Dreams, Tasneem Gallery, Barcelona, Spain FNB Joburg Art Fair, Johannesburg, South Africa, with October Gallery, London, UK Spring Show, October Gallery, London, UK
1999 - The Transvangarde, October Gallery, London, UK 1998 - Colours of Africa, City Civic Center Hamilton, Toronto and Winnipeg, Canada (touring)
1997 - IFA Gallery, Bonn, Germany 1995 - Setagaya Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan (touring)
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
AAI African-American Institute Head Office, New York, USA Africa Centre, London, UK
Ashanti Goldfields Company Headquarters, Accra, Ghana Arts Council of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
Barclays Bank Ghana Ltd., Accra, Ghana
Commonwealth Foundation, London, UK
Ghana Museums and Monuments Board, Accra, Ghana
ICC International Conference Centre, Accra, Ghana
Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts, Stanford University, California, USA
Kosmos Energy, Texas, USA Mobil Oil Ghana Ltd., Accra, Ghana
National Gallery of Modern Art, Lagos, Nigeria National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
O'Hare International Airport (mural), Chicago, USA Ohio State University International House, Columbus, USA Royal Collection of Prince and Princess Takamado, Tokyo, Japan Société Générale Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Standard Chartered Bank Ghana Ltd., Accra, Ghana Tullow Oil PLC, London, UK
UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France Visiting Arts, London, UK World Bank, Washington D. C., USA World Bank, Accra, Ghana
EDUCATION
1957 – 58 Kumasi College of Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
1959 – 62 Central School of Art and Design, London, UK
1964 – 65 Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
1971 – 72 Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, USA
1972 – 74 Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA