After more than four decades of painting, Liberian veteran artist Amos Boyce, Chief Executive Officer of Piso Art Gallery and former graphic artist for the Daily Observer, is set to host his first-ever solo exhibition, a landmark cultural event he has titled “ROOTS.” The show is scheduled to run from late November 28, 2025, through December in Monrovia.
Boyce, who began painting in 1982 and participated in his first exhibition at the National Museum on Broad Street, has spent 45 years building a career that has carried his work from the streets of Monrovia to galleries and exhibitions across Africa, Europe and North America. Despite his longstanding influence, ROOTS will mark the first time the acclaimed artist has curated an exhibition solely dedicated to his own body of work.
“I had a passion for art,” Boyce reflects. “I grew up in an artistic family, my mother was a dancer, my father was a sculptor, and I just loved art. At first, I didn’t know you could make a profession out of it. I thought everyone could draw, until my grandmother explained to me that it was a gift.”
Although art became his defining path, Boyce’s creative journey began with music. He was one of just a handful of students in his school called upon to sing gospel and country-western music, a memory he still relishes. But the outbreak of Liberia’s civil war forced a turning point.
With brushes and paints hard to come by, Boyce turned to sketches. “There came a time when I didn’t even have a pencil,” he recalled. “I used charcoal, sometimes even drawing on the ground. Once you get in the mode, you just have to do it.”
His determination paid off. Even before the war, his artworks were being collected and sold internationally. In Côte d’Ivoire, a gallery owner in Abidjan admired his unique style, often selling his paintings within days of delivery. Boyce’s work was also featured in The Spirit of Sao Boso exhibition in Geneva, Switzerland, where he placed second despite being unable to attend in person due to the war.
Throughout his career, Boyce has worked in diverse mediums, oil, watercolor, pastel, fiberglass, batik, tie-dye, and even three-dimensional forms, making him one of Liberia’s most versatile and enduring artists. He credits the late Liberian artist Jallah Kollie as a major influence on his artistic growth.
With ROOTS, Boyce says he wants to reflect both his personal journey and Liberia’s collective story. “This exhibition is about where we come from, our experiences, our struggles, and our growth. It is not just my story—it is our story,” he explained. The show will also feature activities for children, offering a platform for young people to connect with art and culture.
Boyce describes ROOTS as the culmination of his lifelong devotion to art: from his first sketches as a boy who thought drawing was universal, to a seasoned master whose works now span continents. For him, the exhibition is a chance to honor his beginnings while sharing his creative legacy with Liberia and the world.
