Desta Hagos (Amharic: ደስታ ሃጎስ; born 1952) 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.
[1] During her studies at the Addis Ababa School, she shared a communal studio with four other artists, and attended events featuring prominent Ethiopian writers such as Tsegaye Gabre-Medhin, Mengistu Lemma, and Baalu Girma.
[6][5]: 179 Desta briefly took an art instructor position at the Addis Ababa School, but soon chose to leave for the United States with her fiancé when he received a scholarship to study there.
[3] As of 2017, she has participated in more than 50 exhibitions, showing her paintings both in Ethiopia and in countries such as Canada, the United States, Korea, Denmark, Germany and Spain.