Bruce Onobrakpeya is a celebrated Nigerian painter and printmaker. Celebrated for his innovative printmaking techniques, Onobrakpeya pioneered bronzed lino relief and metal foil deep etching to in bold patterns and colors to explore Nigerian folklore and contemporary life. His aesthetic drew inspiration from a variety of source material, including the art of the Benin Kingdom, regional Nigerian landscape painting, Christian...
Bruce Onobrakpeya is a celebrated Nigerian painter and printmaker. Celebrated for his innovative printmaking techniques, Onobrakpeya pioneered bronzed lino relief and metal foil deep etching to in bold patterns and colors to explore Nigerian folklore and contemporary life. His aesthetic drew inspiration from a variety of source material, including the art of the Benin Kingdom, regional Nigerian landscape painting, Christian iconography, and the political turmoil of his home country, all of which he depicted in his art. �My childhood experience of the cultural environment of Urhobo and Benin formed the artistic bedrock on which I continue to build,� he has explained. �My early exposure to these arts sustained my artistic expressions by giving me access to a world of imagination, through bridging the thin gap between realism, surrealism and abstraction.� One of his best-known series, The Mask and the Cross (1967�1968), explores the life and suffering of Christ rendered with the artist�s signature brand of mythical realism. Born on August 30, 1932 in Agbarha-Otor, Nigeria, Onobrakpeya attended the Nigerian College of Arts, Science, and Technology in Zaria, where he developed an interest in forging a unique style which aimed to decolonize itself from Western influences. He went on to exhibit internationally and establish himself as an important figure in contemporary African art, notably working as an educator for over four decades. Today, his works can be found in the collections of the Vatican Museum in Rome, the National Gallery in Nairobi, and the National Museum of African Arts, Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., among others. The artist lives and works in Lagos, Nigeria.
