Gebre was born in the town of Harar, the son of a high ranking clergyman Aleka Desta Nego, and was the youngest of six siblings.
[7] After his graduation he held his first exhibition at the Gallery Kuppers, Cologne, it encompassed a year's work and made an extensive six-month tour of Western Europe.
Initially his work was criticized for abandoning more conventional styles, at the time the art scene in Ethiopia was steeped in traditionalism.
[10] He held exhibitions in various countries such as West Germany, Greece, Senegal, Russia, India, Yugoslavia, Brazil and Ghana in an ambassadorial capacity.
[8] However, he was also among the artists that enjoyed the patronage of Emperor Haile Selassie, who was trying to advance modernization of Ethiopia by promoting progressive ideas in education, art, and industry.
The citation for this award praised him as an artist with outstanding creative and interpretive abilities and as the one who was largely responsible for introducing non-figurative art into his country.