Exhibition was on view: February 25 through August 9, 2015
Royals & Regalia: Inside the Palaces of Nigeria’s Monarchs presents 40 visually stunning portraits from a new series by acclaimed Nigerian photographer George Osodi. Exhibited for the first time in the U.S., these vibrant color photographs feature the regional rulers of modern-day monarchies throughout the country. They provide audiences with a rare and intimate look inside Nigeria’s palaces and throne rooms, capturing the personalities of the rulers, the splendor of their dress, and the details of their settings. The near life-size photographs will be shown to dramatic effect along with select examples of prestige dress and regalia from the internationally renowned collections of the Newark Museum.
“The idea behind this project is to travel around this diverse country and go beyond the portraits to explore the subjects’ environments—being the custodians of our cultural heritage and peace makers—exploring their architecture and fashion with the view to showcase and celebrate them and to mirror the country’s great culture through their personalities.”
Photographer George Osodi
This exhibition was part of the kick-off of a two-year celebration of the Museum’s collecting of African art. A major reinstallation is targeted for completion in 2017, the centennial year of the Museum’s African art collection.
Images courtesy of Z Photograhic, Ltd.
Major support provided by:
This exhibition was made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations in this exhibition, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.
