Crowds & Queens - The Art of Ablade Glover by Dozie Igweze

The life and art of the celebrated Ghanaian artist, Ablade Glover is brought to life in this brilliant coffee table book.

The book presents images of his artworks as well as the st0ry of the artist’s life.

Book dimension: 12″ by 12″ Hardback

Pages : 321

Published: 2022

About the artist

Ablade Glover was born in Accra Ghana in 1934. His early education took him across three continents. His Teacher’s training study was at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi between 1957 and 1958. Between 1959 and 1962, he studied textile design at the Central School of Arts and Design, London. He returned to Ghana to teach for a period and then went to the University of Newcastle upon Tyne to study Art Education. He returned to Ghana, again for a brief period, before going on to Kent State University for a Master’s degree and then to Ohio State University for his doctorate.

In 1974 he returned to Ghana, this time for good. He joined the art department at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi. He would remain there for the next twenty years eventually heading the art school.

In 1995, he set up the Artist Alliance gallery in Accra to create a nexus for displaying the art of Ghanaian artists.

In all this time, he worked vigorously. Prolific and energetic, he has over the years created a vast array of artworks chronicling Ghana – its people, its landscape, its spirit. It might be misleading though to classify Glover’s art as a chronicle of Ghana. It is a chronicle of Africa – at least Sub-Saharan Africa. His paintings are expansive and amorphous making statements that can apply not just to Accra or Kumasi but to just about every African city.

His canvases capture the landscape of Africa, the meandering, boisterous, energetic nerve of the African continent. His vibrant colours express the energy of the continent. His elegant market women exude the confidence, resilience and grace of the women in Accra and all over Africa. These canvases are a love affair with Africa generously splattered on canvas evoking the struggle, tension, beauty and verve of the continent.