Bruce Onobrakpeya

Bruce Onobrakpeya is a distinguished Nigerian printmaker, artist, and sculptor whose work has left an indelible mark on the global art scene.  

Biography of Bruce Onobrakpeya

Bruce Onobrakpeya was born on August 30, 1932, in the culturally rich Agbarha-Otor in Delta State, Nigeria.

In 1957, Onobrakpeya's journey took a pivotal turn as he was admitted to the Nigerian College of Arts, Science, and Technology, now known as Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria. Supported by a government scholarship, he delved into Western fine art traditions while simultaneously exploring themes inspired by Nigerian folklore, myths, and legends.

His inaugural solo exhibition took place in 1959 in Ughelli in the Niger Delta. Onobrakpeya's artistic footprint extends across prestigious international exhibitions, including showcases at the Tate Modern Gallery in London, the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C., and the Malmö Art Gallery in Sweden. In his homeland, the National Gallery of Modern Art in Lagos proudly displays his abstract paintings, and a treasure trove of his creations can be explored in the Virtual Museum of Contemporary Nigerian Art.

For numerous years, he served as an educator at St. Gregory's College, Lagos. Additionally, Onobrakpeya established the Bruce Onobrakpeya Foundation, where he holds the position of President. The foundation organizes the annual Harmattan workshop in his hometown of Agbara Otor, Delta State. Formed in 1999, the foundation is an artist-led non-governmental organization.

Bruce Onobrakpeya's Art Style

Throughout his life, Bruce Onobrakpeya explored, innovated, and perfected numerous printmaking and relief sculpture techniques. Among the techniques he delved into are bronzed line relief, plastocast (resin) relief, plastograph, and metal foil etching and relief print. In addition to his work in printmaking and sculpture, he also engaged in painting and drawing.

More recently, he has created serigraphs inspired by what is known as the "Sunshine period" of his artistic development, characterized by bright colors and tropical radiance that became a signature of his art.