Honoring the Legacy of Dr. Elisabeth Wolde Giorgis: A Life Dedicated to Ethiopian Art and Modernism











Dr. Elisabeth Wolde Giorgis, a distinguished scholar, curator, and advocate for Ethiopian art and history, has passed away. She served as the Director of the Ethiopian Studies and Research Institute at Addis Ababa University, contributing significantly to the preservation, study, and promotion of Ethiopian heritage on both national and international platforms.

Academic and Professional Contributions

Dr. Elisabeth pursued her higher education in History of Art and Visual Studies at Cornell University and Museum Studies at New York University. She served as the Dean of the Skunder Boghossian College of Performing and Visual Arts and as Director of the Institute of Ethiopian Studies at Addis Ababa University. She taught Art Theory and Criticism in the Graduate School of the College of Performing and Visual Art and the Center for African Studies.

Notable Works and Publications

Among her significant contributions is the book Modernist Art in Ethiopia, published in 2019. This work offers an incisive account of twentieth and twenty-first-century art in Ethiopia, drawing on original archival sources and using a rigorous interdisciplinary approach. It has been recognized as a landmark study on Ethiopian modernism and experiences of modernity beyond the West. citeturn0search0

Dr. Elisabeth also edited and authored several publications, including Perspectives on Ethiopian Modernity and Modernism, a special issue guest-edited by her in North East African Studies, and Charting Ethiopian Modernity and Modernism, a special issue on Ethiopian art and literature in Callaloo, Journal of the African Diaspora. She also published the only catalogue of contemporary art in Ethiopia, Gebre Kristos Desta: The Painter Poet.

Curatorial and Collaborative Projects

In addition to her scholarly writings, Dr. Elisabeth curated several exhibitions at the Modern Art Museum, Gebre Kristos Desta Center. Notably, she curated an exhibition of Julie Mehretu’s work titled “Julie, the Addis Show,” and “Addis Ababa the Enigma of the New and the Modern,” which showcased artists engaging with the changing cityscape of Addis Ababa. She also curated an exhibition of the Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson.

Mentorship and Legacy

Beyond academia, Dr. Elisabeth was a passionate educator and mentor, guiding young scholars and artists in understanding Ethiopia’s rich artistic and historical landscape. Her voice resonated in public discussions on the intersections of culture, identity, and heritage, making her a respected authority in her field.

She passed away in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, where she had been working. Efforts are currently underway to bring her body home to Ethiopia, a country she cherished deeply and to which she dedicated her life’s work.

Dr. Elisabeth’s legacy will live on through her writings, exhibitions, and the many lives she touched. Her absence leaves a profound void in the Ethiopian academic and artistic community. Our heartfelt condolences go out to her family, friends, colleagues, and all who had the privilege of knowing her.

May her contributions continue to inspire future generations, and may her soul rest in peace.