We are happy to share about our fellow’s Naima Hassan incredible work as a researcher and archivist for G.A.S. foundation, as the Picton Collection has found a new home in G.A.S. Lagos space in LAgos, Nigeria.

Statement from G.A.S

'We are pleased to announce that the Picton Collection has been successfully catalogued and installed at its new home in G.A.S. Lagos.⁠

We are eager to get to work on the next phases, which will include digitization, activation, and accessibility through Library memberships.⁠
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We would like to take this opportunity to once again thank Professor John Picton and Sue Picton who in 2022 donated a lifelong personal library collection to G.A.S. Its scope includes the visual arts of Sub-Saharan Africa (sculpture, masquerade, textiles), publications dealing with history and archaeology (including Saharan rock art); as well as African American and Black British arts, and more.⁠ The books total some 1500 volumes, which have been collected over decades and in that time have been a crucial resource for both Picton and his students. We’re excited to see how the collection will serve critical research on the continent.⁠


About G.A.S. Foundation

The Guest Artists Space (G. A. S.) Foundation (Nigeria) was established in 2019 and is supported by the Yinka Shonibare Foundation (UK). G.A.S. Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to facilitating international cultural exchange, developing creative and research practices through residencies and collaborations. 

Yinka Shonibare CBE has developed and built two new artist residency spaces in Lagos and Ijebu, Nigeria, that opened in May 2022.' 


More about Picton Collection

Full statement

Photo: Picton Library Archive collection © G.A.S. Foundation & Andrew Esiebo