Back to: Jss3 Cultural and Creative Art (C.C.A)

Nigerian Contemporary Artists and their Contributions

Aina Onabol

Born in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State in 1882.

It is generally agreed that he was the first Nigerian artist to obtain an education in Western art. Between the years 1920 and 1922, he received his education in both London and Paris. Upon his return to Nigeria, he was a pioneer in introducing art classes to secondary schools in the Lagos area. His pioneering works in Lagos are considered to be the beginning of the conventional history of contemporary Nigerian art. He was successful in getting the colonial government of Nigeria to acknowledge the importance of art education in the country’s public schools. As both a painter and an art professor, he distinguished himself. The Portrait of a Chief, The Portrait of Reverend O. Oluwole, and The Portrait of Messrs. Spence Savage are just a few of the paintings that he has created.

Ben Enwonwu

Enwonwu was born in 1921 in the city of Onitsha, and it was his father who first exposed him to the world of art at a very young age and showed him how to carve. Ben received his basic school as well as his secondary education in Nigeria. The first time that Ben’s artwork was shown publicly was in 1937 at the Zwemmer Galleries in London, followed by the Glasgow Empire Exhibition in 1938. This was the beginning of Ben’s rise to prominence in the world of art. After that, he was presented with a scholarship opportunity to study painting in London. After returning to Nigeria in 1948, he was given the position of Government Art Supervisor and eventually worked his way up to the position of Art Adviser for the Nigerian government. He participated in at least a quarter of a dozen different group exhibits in addition to his more than twenty-five solo shows. Shango may be seen in front of the NEPA headquarters in Marina, Lagos; Anyanwu can be found in front of the National Museum, Lagos; and The Risen Christ can be found in the University of Ibadan Chapel. These are only a few of his remarkable works.

Justice D. Akeredolu 

Justice D. Akeredolu was born in Owo, which is located in the state of Ondo, in 1915. He attended the Government School in Owo for his formal education. His extraordinary talent in the arts was recognized when he was still in elementary school, and as a result, he was offered a position as an art and craft instructor at the same school where he had completed his primary schooling. In 1945, he embarked on a trip to the United Kingdom, where he enrolled in an art class at the Hammersmith School of Arts and Crafts. After returning to Nigeria in 1946, he began working as an instructor of arts and crafts there. 1944 was the year of his first exhibition. After that, in London, he had his second solo show of artwork. In 1945. 1948 was the year that he toured Nigeria with an exhibition of his work. Mother and Child and A Hausa Man are two of his paintings that may be seen at the National Gallery of Art.

Akinola Lasekan

Lasekan, an artist who had no formal training, was born in Owo in 1916. He was the first person to carve designs from thorns. After putting in a lot of work over the years, he finally made his way to England in 194S and enrolled at the Hammersmith School of Building, Arts and Crafts. After being away for half a year, he went back to Nigeria and worked as an independent artist there for several years. He founded an art school that taught students over the mail and was responsible for issuing the “Lash Art Course Diploma of Proficiency.” His paintings include “Nigeria Soldier,” “Poor Africa,” and “Self-Portrait.” Up to the time of his death in 1972, he was included on the personnel list of the Department of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Nigeria.

Clara Etso Ugbodaga

Although she was born in Kano in 1928, her parents were from Edo. She attended schools in Kano and Zaria for her basic and secondary schooling, respectively. During the years 1945 to 1950, she was a teacher at a total of nine different schools, during which time she developed an interest in painting. In the year 1950, she was awarded a scholarship to attend the Chelsea School of Art in London to study art instruction. In the year 1975, she was given a position as a professor at the Nigerian College of Arts, Science, and Technology. She was a talented sculptress and had taken part in several group exhibits both in Europe and the United States of America. 5 One-man exhibits of his work were presented in London in 1958, Lagos and Ibadan in 1959, Boston in 1963, and Ibadan once again in 1964. Terracotta was used in the creation of several of her life-size sculptures as well as portraits. She distinguished herself by serving as a professor for the first generation of pioneer modern Nigerian artists such as Wangboje, FasuyL Grillo, Olaosebikan, and others.

Lamidi Fakeye

Lamidi Fakeye Born in 1925 in Ila Orangun, Osun State. In the beginning, he worked as a traditional carver. At the start of his career, his style was thought to be rough around the edges, but he quickly grew skilled in the art of carving, and eventually, he became known as a master carver. In institutions such as St. Joseph’s College Ondo, St. Leo’s College Abeokuta, and Holy Trinity School in Lagos, he was known for instructing students in the art of wood carving. In 1963 and 1966, he made two trips to the United States, during which he gave lectures and gave demonstrations of his skills, most notably at North Western University in Illinois. His artwork was shown at the Commonwealth in 1966 and the Dakar Black Festival of Arts the following year. He established the Nigerian Society of Professional Artists and served as the organization’s first President. He was commissioned to create several works of art for the government of Western Nigeria at the time, including the Speaker’s Chair in their House of Assembly, the Carved Posts at the Gate of Idena in Ife, and the door of the Catholic Cathedral in Ibadan, among other things.

Ladi Kwali

Ladi Kwali Born in Kwali, Abuja. Her early exposure to the art of pottery, which led to her popularity when she was only nine years old, was inspired by the fact that she was born in Kwali, a place where the craft of pottery is a regular practice. Her wares were adorned with ordinary animals such as spiders, crocodiles, and chameleons that had been burned and coloured conventionally. At a workshop for potters held in Abuja in 1952 and led by Michael Cardew, she was given an introduction to the use of contemporary technology in the field of pottery. Her artwork has been shown in a variety of different nations all around the globe. Because of her exceptional proficiency in the art of pottery, Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria awarded her an Honorary Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree.

Adam Joshua Udo Ema

Adam, who was an Ibiobio, was born in 1913. It was when he was a student at Uzuakoli Methodist Teacher Training College that he first became interested in painting. Following his graduation in 1936, he began teaching art in Eastern Nigeria. Beginning in 1943, he also taught in the British Cameroons, which at the time were considered a part of Nigeria. Trained as a painter, but spent his life teaching art and authoring textbooks on how to teach art instead of practising his craft. At a period when art was not on the curriculum of many schools in Nigeria and other parts of the nation, he had a significant impact on young schoolboys and schoolgirls in Nigeria who wanted to become painters. The very first book of his to be published. An African Art Teachers Handbook was first published in 1951, followed by The Teaching of Clay Work in Schools in 1952 and The Art and Craft Teachers in 1962. In 1951, there was also a publication titled An African Art Teachers Handbook.

Bruce Onobrakpeya

Born in 1932 in Agbarha-Otor, which is in the state of Delta. His primary school was completed at Sapele, and he received his secondary education in Benin City. After that, he went on to get a degree in art from the Nigeria College of Arts, Science and Technology in Zana. There, he focused on painting and art history as his primary areas of study.

He was a professor of art at several institutions in Ondo, Benin City, and Lagos. With the use of his invention, Plastographhe displayed several works, first in 1959 in Ughelli and afterwards in Ghana, Kenya, Europe, the United States, and India. In 1960, the Nigerian Arts Council gave him, Uche Okeke, and Demas Nwoko a contract to paint murals for the Arts and Crafts booths at the Independence Exhibition. These paintings were one of the highlights of the exhibition. After it, he completed a significant number of other commissioned works for the government. Bruce is one of the founding members of the Society of Nigerian Artists and is well recognized for his deep etching print titled “Abiku Spirit.” He works as a book artist, a painter, and a master printmaker. He is perhaps the most internationally known Nigerian printmaker. In his art studio in Lagos, Nigeria, he teaches a younger generation of artists the skill of etching methods while also hosting art exhibitions. The following are some of his works: Mami Wata, Adumaadan, Ekuoregbe

Uses of one’s artistic abilities that may result in financial gain

The practice of art may be rather profitable and hence has the potential to offer its practitioners financial rewards. However, to succeed in the marketing strategy and understand the business sides of art, one has to exercise their creative side. The artist needs to make an effort to ensure that his work is presentable and appealing to those who could be interested in purchasing it since good works will bring in customers. For the artist to determine when and where to sell his works as well as the price tag, he or she has to be creative. The potential customers need to be able to get the work easily and at a price, they can afford.