Erhabor Ogieva Emokpae,
OON, (9 May 1934 – 16 February 1984) was a renowned
Nigerian
Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...
sculptor,
muralist
A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage.
Word mural in art
The word ''mural'' is a Spanish ...
,
graphic artist
A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography, or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, p ...
and painter who is regarded as one of the pioneers of
modern arts in Nigeria.
Some of his notable works include the a bronze replica of the
ivory mask of Queen Idia that was used as the official emblem of the
Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC 77)
and a popular painting of
Queen Amina. He is also responsible for the decorations on the four entrances of the
National Arts Theatre
The National Theatre, Nigeria is the primary centre for the performing arts in Nigeria. The monument is located in Iganmu, Surulere, Lagos. Its construction was completed in 1976 in preparation for the Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC) in ...
, in
Lagos
Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...
.
Early life and education
Erhabor Emokpae, a native of
Oredo local government area in
Edo State
Edo, commonly known as Edo State, is a state located in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. As of 2006 National population census, the state was ranked as the 24th populated state (3,233,366) in Nigeria, However there was controversy ...
, was born on 9 May 1934, his father was a
Bini Palace chief Ewekagosadoba and his mother was a
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
from
Benin City
Benin City is the capital and largest city of Edo State, Edo State, Nigeria. It is the fourth-largest city in Nigeria according to the 2006 census, after Lagos, Kano (city), Kano, and Ibadan, with a population estimate of about 3,500,000 as of ...
. After completing his basic education at the local Government School,
Benin
Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...
, in 1949, Emokpae entered Western Boys High School, Benin, that same year, leaving in 1951. He proceeded to study art at the Government Trade Centre (now
Yaba College of Technology
Yaba College of Technology, popularly known as YABATECH, was founded in 1947, and is Nigeria's first higher educational institution. It is located in Yaba, Lagos. It has a student enrollment of over 16,000.
Overview
Yaba College of Technology ...
) in
Lagos
Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...
from 1951 to 1953. He went on to study art in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
in 1963.
The background of his upbringing made him dwell on themes of
dualism in most of his
artworks
A work of art, artwork, art piece, piece of art or art object is an artistic creation of aesthetics, aesthetic value. Except for "work of art", which may be used of any work regarded as art in its widest sense, including works from ...
.
Career
After graduating from Yaba Trade Centre, Emokpae participated in the 1950 "Festival of Arts" exhibition in Lagos, before going on to work as a trainee and commercial artist between 1954 and 1958 at the Ministry of Information in
Enugu
Enugu ( ; ) is the capital city of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in southeastern part of Nigeria. The city had a population of 820,000 according to the 2022 Nigerian census. The name ''Enugu'' is derived from the two Igbo words ''Énú ...
after he was employed as an artist by the Federal Ministry of Information in 1953.
In 1958, he moved to Lagos and was employed by the West African Publicity (now Lintas West Africa, Lagos) as a creative visual artist. He went on to be promoted as the Senior Creative Advertisement Visual Artist in 1966, and in 1973 he became the Creative Director of the firm. He is regarded as one of the founding members of the Society of Nigerian Artists, an association in which he went on to hold the post of secretary from 1967 to 1975. He was also a member of the Lagos Arts Council and held the position of secretary in 1965.
Works and exhibitions
During his lifetime, Emokpae initiated and held many exhibitions in several countries including
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
,
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
, England and
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. He also took part in joint exhibitions including the "Contemporary African Art", "Camden Art Centre, London", the "Contemporary Nigerian Prints and Painting" and the
University of Ife
Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) is a federal government-owned university that is located in the ancient city of Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1961 and classes commenced in October 1962 as the University of Ife ...
's "4th Ife Festival of the Arts Gallery" in 1971.
In 1973, he produced a replica of the
Benin ivory mask
The Benin ivory mask is a miniature sculptural portrait in ivory of Idia, the first Iyoba (Queen Mother) of the 16th century Benin Empire, taking the form of a traditional African mask. The masks were looted by the British from the palace of the ...
as the official emblem for the
FESTAC 77
Festac '77, also known as the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture (the first was in Dakar, 1966), was a major international festival held in Lagos, Nigeria, from 15 January 1977 to 12 February 1977. The month-long event ce ...
. He was also commissioned to design bronze decorations at the frieze and entrances of the
National Arts Theatre
The National Theatre, Nigeria is the primary centre for the performing arts in Nigeria. The monument is located in Iganmu, Surulere, Lagos. Its construction was completed in 1976 in preparation for the Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC) in ...
in 1974.
Recognition
In recognition of his contributions, he was conferred with the
Officer of the Order of the Niger by
Shehu Shagari
Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari (25 February 1925 – 28 December 2018), titled Turakin Sokoto from 1962, was the first democratically elected President of Nigeria, after the transfer of power by military head of state General Olusegun Obasanjo in ...
in 1980.
Personal life
His son
Isaac Emokpae is also a notable painter and artist.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Emokpae, Erhabor
1934 births
1984 deaths
People from Benin City
Nigerian sculptors
Yaba College of Technology alumni