Information provided by the Artist: Born 1950 in Ethiopia, Wosene Worke Kosrof is a contemporary artist who has achieved international acclaim. Formally trained at Addis Ababa School of Fine Arts, he completed a BFA with distinction in 1972. Then, as a Ford Foundation Talent Scholar, he completed an MFA in 1980 from Howard University, Washington, DC. Over the past five decades, Wosene has created an internationally recognized artistic signature as the first contemporary Ethiopian-born artist to use script forms of his native Amharic as core elements in fine art. This recognizable "signature" emerges from the way he manipulates language—not as literal words, but as images that are accessible to international audiences. Jazz improvisations underlie his compositions, animating them with rhythmic movements and emboldening his masterful use of color. His works present us with a challenge to look into the art, feel its effect, and watch what happens. Wosene lives and works in Berkeley, California, and his work is represented in the Crocker's permanent collection.