Skunder Boghossian is celebrated as one of the founders of Ethiopian modernism and a pivotal figure in African and diasporic art. Born in Addis Ababa during the Italian occupation, he grew up surrounded by Ethiopian traditions and was equally shaped by global cultural influences, from jazz to Surrealism.

After early success in Ethiopia, Emperor Haile Selassie funded his studies in Europe, where Boghossian immersed himself in Paris’s artistic and intellectual circles. He connected with key figures of African liberation and thinkers such as Aimé Césaire and Cheikh Anta Diop, while his friendships with artists including Christian Lattier and Wifredo Lam deepened his exploration of African mythology, symbolism, and Surrealist ideas. His breakthrough Nourishers series (1964) responded to debates around African modernism and led to his work being acquired by MoMA—the first by an African artist in its collection.

Boghossian returned to Ethiopia in 1966 to teach, drawing inspiration from illuminated manuscripts and magical scrolls. In 1969, he moved to the United States, where he taught at Howard University and became active in the Black Arts Movement. His paintings fused Ethiopian spirituality, African traditions, and African American cultural expression, addressing themes of identity, struggle, and redemption.

Skunder never returned to his home in Ethiopia and stayed in the US until his death in 2003. Nonetheless he left a huge mark on Ethiopian modernism and continues to be an inspiration for many Ethiopian artists within the country and diaspora.