A rare collection of prints in the private collection of Prof Ebun Clark, one of Nigeria’s most respected theatre scholars and cultural custodians, will be on display at the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos beginning on Sunday, October 19 at 4:00 p.m. The not-for-sale exhibition, which is in collaboration with the Oluwani Creative Arts Foundation, will be bringing together a milestone presentation of Nigerian and global printmaking from three continents. The show tagged Six decades of vision: Bruce Onobrakpeya’s prints and global print family, will run till October 29.
Over the years, Prof. Clark has assembled an outstanding body of works that not only highlight the career of Prof. Bruce Onobrakpeya, Africa’s most celebrated printmaker, but also feature other significant printmakers whose works extend the narrative of modern Nigerian printmaking.
Alongside Onobrakpeya’s pioneering prints, the exhibition will feature works by other distinguished artists including Tayo Aiyegbusi, Uche Okeke, Kunle Adeyemi, Gab Awusa, Peju Laiwola, Juliet Maja Pearse and Ufuoma Onobrakpeya, among others. Collectively, these works form part of the print family, a global constellation of artists who, directly or indirectly, were inspired by or collaborated with Onobrakpeya in advancing the language of printmaking.
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The exhibition charts a journey across tradition and innovation, documenting Nigeria’s modernist movement while situating it within a global dialogue. By presenting these works side by side, the exhibition underscores the power of printmaking as a medium of experimentation, cultural memory, and international exchange.
Recalling her journey into art collection, Prof Clark said: “The first piece I collected were antiques in form of masks in 1964 at the University of Ibadan when I was there. But, when I came to University of Lagos, in company of my husband we went to see Papa Bruce in his studio in Mushin, and some of his works captured my attention, especially his prints.
“He had thrown this away, and I picked it up and he said he didn’t like the production and wasn’t satisfied with it. I said to him don’t worry I will keep it and I took this one and the one next to me.
That’s how I started my print collection. When you’re a young collector, start with prints and I say this to others who may have the desire to collect to start with prints, it’s not because they are any less important in fine art, but they are relatively cheaper than paintings.’
Speaking ahead of the opening, Dr. Mudiare Onobrakpeya, one of the shows curators, said: “This exhibition honours the vision of Prof. Ebun Clark as a patron who preserved not just Bruce Onobrakpeya’s artistic genius but also the works of other remarkable printmakers from three continents. It underscores Nigeria’s role as a pace setter in shaping global printmaking, and a reminder of our collective responsibility to safeguard this heritage.”
The exhibition is curated by Moses Ohiomokhare, with the support of leading scholars and cultural advocates. It is presented strictly as a ‘No sale exhibition’, placing emphasis on preservation, research, and intergenerational dialogue.
Prof Onobrakpeya who described Prof Clark as a builder, said her legacy as his art collector is already yielding good fruits, adding that she created a rock foundation which he is growing appear to be limitless. “I keep climbing since that very time that’s the importance of her purchase,” he noted.
Former Dean School of Arts, Design and Printing, Yaba College of Technology, Dr. Kunle Adeyemi, described Prof. Clark as a very dedicated collector of artworks who has been collecting, studying the artists, and working assiduously to make sure the artists, particularly those she embraces, are doing well. He noted that she encourages the artists and giving the artists a platform.
“But her interest in prints, particularly in printmaking, is extraordinary. She came to us when she started collecting artworks, one time or the other, encouraging us. And she backs it up with her finances. So little wonder her collections are wide.
Prof Clark made Bruce Onobrakpeya to begin to do what he’s actually doing. Because if you encourage people by word of mouth, you encourage them by buying what they do, they go back to the studio, particularly the serious ones, and will be able to do more. People like Ebun Clark are actually the kingmakers in making Bruce what she is today,” he added.
Curator of the exhibition, Moses Ohiomokhare hinted that the collection is a revelation of ‘what has been going on in her mind when she was growing the collection,’ which is a form of preservation of the nation’s heritage.
