Chris Ofili and the presence in major museum collections
Published on 06/24/2026 at 23:33 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Chris Ofili is one of the most widely collected British painters of his generation, with key works anchored in major public collections on both sides of the Atlantic. His intricately layered canvases, often drawing on Afro-Caribbean iconography and music, have become touchstones of contemporary painting.
Chris Ofili in institutional collections
In London, Tate holds several important Ofili works, including the large-scale painting No Woman, No Cry (1998), acquired after it was shown in the 1998 Turner Prize exhibition. The canvas memorably overlays a portrait with beads of resin 'tears' encasing tiny photographs of the murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence.
The painting entered Tate's collection as a key work in the museum's rehang of contemporary British art, marking Ofili's position within the so-called Young British Artists generation. Its mixture of personal grief, political reference and devotional format has made it one of the most discussed British paintings of the late 1990s.
Museum & collection focus on Wednesday
Across the Atlantic, the Museum of Modern Art in New York lists Ofili's work in its collection, signaling his transatlantic reach within the institutional canon. While MoMA's holdings are smaller than Tate's, they underline how his practice is read within a global narrative of contemporary painting.
Works by Ofili also feature in other public collections such as the National Galleries of Scotland, which highlight his role in expanding how Black British experience is visualized within European museum contexts. The presence of these works in permanent displays makes his iconography accessible to a broad, recurring audience.
All news and background on Chris Ofili
For further reporting on Chris Ofili's exhibitions, market results and museum appearances, our archive offers additional context and data points for collectors and professionals.
The core of Ofili's practice
Ofili is known above all for his richly ornamented paintings that once famously incorporated elephant dung, glitter and collage fragments to disrupt expectations around 'serious' painting. These materials, combined with references to music, folklore and religion, create dense narrative surfaces.
Alongside painting, Ofili has developed works on paper and tapestry designs, expanding his visual language beyond the canvas. Series such as Afromuses show how he revisits portraiture as a site for imagining hybrid, dignified Black presences in art history.
Where the artist stands now
Chris Ofili continues to work primarily in painting and works on paper from his long-term base in Trinidad, with major works already secured in leading European and North American public collections.
Key facts on Chris Ofili
- Artist: Chris Ofili
- Medium / Genre: Painting (figurative and ornamental), works on paper
- Born: 1968, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Place(s) of practice: Studio in Trinidad and Tobago (long-term base) and connections to London
- Active since: Early 1990s
- Key work groups: No Woman, No Cry; Afromuses; early elephant-dung paintings; later Trinidad-inspired nocturnes
- Current/last exhibition: Chris Ofili: Weaving Histories, institutional group and solo presentations in recent years (various venues)
- Major collections: Tate (London); Museum of Modern Art MoMA (New York); National Galleries of Scotland (Edinburgh)
- Awards: Turner Prize (1998)
- Next date: currently no announced date in the 30-day window
Frequently asked questions about Chris Ofili
Where can I see Chris Ofili's work in a public collection?
You can see major works by Ofili at Tate in London, including the painting No Woman, No Cry, which is part of the museum's collection and regularly features in displays of contemporary British art.
Which museums outside the UK collect Chris Ofili?
Outside the United Kingdom, Ofili is represented in the collections of institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the National Galleries of Scotland, underlining the international recognition of his work.
What themes characterize Chris Ofili's paintings?
Ofili's paintings often combine Afro-Caribbean cultural references, religious iconography, popular music and political memory, layered in highly decorative surfaces that challenge and expand conventional hierarchies of subject matter in contemporary painting.
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