Tilahun Gessesse was an Ethiopian singer regarded as one of the most popular Ethiopian artist of the 20th century. Noted by his tenor voice, he was nicknamed "The Voice" during his country's "Golden Age" in the 1960s. Tilahun was an eminent singer whose works are attributed legacy to Ethiopian music. Besides his popularity, he raised money for aid during the famines of the 1970s and 1980s and earned the affection of the nation, being awarded a doctorate degree by the Addis Ababa University and also winning a lifetime achievement award from the Ethiopian Fine Art and Mass Media Prize Trust.
Afewerk Tekle was an Ethiopian artist, particularly known for his paintings on African and Christian themes as well as his stained glass.
Beyene Petros was an Ethiopian politician and educator who was the professor of Biology at Addis Ababa University and a former member of the Ethiopian House of People's Representatives, representing an electoral district in Badawacho of Hadiya Zone. He was the chairman of one of the largest opposition political parties in Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Federal Democratic Forum Medrek.
Aïda Muluneh Ethiopian photographer, educator, and entrepreneur known for her Afrofuturist photography that incorporates vibrant colours and body painting to create surreal scenes.
Wosene Worke Kosrof is an Ethiopian painter and mixed-media artist.
Alexander "Skunder" Boghossian was an Ethiopian-Armenian painter and art teacher. He spent much of his life living and working in the United States. He was one of the first, and by far the most acclaimed, contemporary Black artists from the African continent to gain international attention.
Michael Tsegaye is an Ethiopian artist and photographer. Much of his work presents a glimpse of life in contemporary Ethiopia, although an extended catalogue of his images come from his travels abroad.
Gebre Kristos Desta, also known as Gebrekristos Desta, was an Ethiopian painter and poet. He is credited with bringing modern art to Ethiopia Both his paintings and poems stirred controversy among his countryfolk. He died young, at age fifty as a refugee living in the United States, but despite his short life he transformed Ethiopian art influenced many a young artist.
Abel Tilahun is an Ethiopian artist and filmmaker, who works across traditional and emerging art forms. At the heart of his work is a concern for both the cutting edge and the long arc of history.
Klaus Mertens is a German contemporary artist. He is currently residing in Berlin and Addis Ababa.
Nenne Sanguineti Poggi (1909–2012) was an Italian painter. She is best known for her public artworks in Eritrea and Ethiopia, and her commissions for Emperor Haile Selassie.
Yadesa Bojia is a Seattle-based Ethiopian graphic designer and artist. Bojia has exhibited regionally since 2006. In 2010, he rose to international acclaim when his design was selected for the African Union's flag. Bojia has shown his work in exhibitions, completed commissioned works, and given public talks about the themes of his work, including human rights, minority rights, Africa, and justice. Bojia's style as a painter draws on African impressionism.
The Institute of Ethiopian Studies(IES) was officially established in 1963 to collect information on Ethiopian civilization, its history, cultures, and languages. The Institute includes a research and publication unit, a library, and a museum. It is located at Addis Ababa University, Sidist (6) Kilo campus, which was at the time of the IES's opening, named Haile Selassie I University after the last emperor of Abyssinia.
The Skunder Boghossian College of Performing and Visual Arts is the umbrella organization for Ethiopia's oldest secular schools for the arts, offering Bachelors and Masters programs in art, theater, and music.
Daniachew Worku was an Ethiopian writer whose works include novels, plays and short stories. He wrote in both Amharic and English.
Tesfaye Geleta Urgessa is an Ethiopian-born painter. He is from Addis Ababa, and has been based in Germany since 2009.
Ale Felege Selam Heruy was an Ethiopian painter, educator, and school founder. He founded the Addis Ababa School of Art in 1957, renamed in his honor to Ale School of Fine Arts and Design.
Assefa Gebre-Mariam Tessema is an Ethiopian poet and academic. He wrote the national anthem of Ethiopia from 1975 to 1992, Ethiopia, Ethiopia, Ethiopia be first. As of 2016, he was working as a teacher in Kaffa Province.
Dawit Abebe is an Ethiopian contemporary artist. Dawit's goal as an artist is to raise awareness of Addis Ababa's contemporary art scene as well as its society and history. He believes that in order for humans to progress, it is essential that a nation and its citizens understand how the past has shaped present life through his art.
Desta Hagos is an Ethiopian artist, credited for being the first woman painter to hold a solo exhibition in Ethiopia. As of 2017, she has participated in more than 50 exhibitions, and her work has been shown internationally in countries such as Canada, the United States, Korea, Denmark, Germany, Spain, and Qatar. She paints landscapes alongside abstract pieces, and she frequently focuses on depicting the day-to-day experiences of women.
