Exhibitions

Chief S.O. Alonge: Photographer to the Royal Court of Benin, Nigeria

September 17, 2014 – July 31, 2016

National Museum of African Art
950 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC

Sublevel 1, Mezzanine Gallery

See on Map Floor Plan

To celebrate the history of Nigerian photography, this exhibition features the collection of Chief Solomon Osagie Alonge, one of Nigeria's premiere early photographers. As an official photographer to the Royal Court of the Benin, Alonge documented the rituals, pageantry, and regalia of the court for over a half-century. Also highlighted are works of art from Benin in the museum's permanent collection and rare collections of Nigerian photography in the museum's Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives.