This year, our Focus feature shifts
from highlighting the practices of emerging
and established artists to giving
prominence to the practices of the rising
number of collectors of Modern and Contemporary
African art. In this edition,
Bisi Silva interviews the Nigerian
collector Prince (Engr.) Yemisi Shyllon
about the history and highlights of his
art collection.
1) Bisi Silva: You
started collecting art as a student; what inspired your incredible passion for
art?
Prince (Engr.) Yemisi
Shyllon: As a student of engineering
at the University of Ibadan in the seventies, I depended very much on reading in
the library of the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos during my holidays. In
those days, Yaba Tech was highly patronised by all students living around that
vicinity. When I took my break from reading I would spend about thirty minutes
walking around. During such walks, I would spend substantial time looking and marveling
at the sculptural works of students on display at the demonstration area of
Yaba Tech Art Faculty. This eventually gave way to my strong interest in
collecting sculptures long before collecting paintings. At the universities of
Ibadan and Ife where I had hostel accommodations, I kept my small
sized sculptural pieces
in my rooms and kept the large ones in my uncle’s residence in Ibadan. In 1981,
after my MBA at the University of Ife, I moved into my first three bedroom at Ketu
on the outskirts of Lagos and assembled all my sculptural pieces into my flat. I fondly remember that my
landlord did not believe I had just graduated from school; he wondered how the
art had been financed. I must mention that while I was studying for my MBA at
Ife, I worked part time as a physics and mathematics teacher at the Anglican
Grammar School, Ife. I used the money made from teaching to buy art and shares,
two activities which had consumed my time and any excess funds I derived from
my family, family members and scholarship funds. At that early stage I bought
works that caught my
fancy from around me in Lagos, Ibadan, Enugu, Benin and Ife.
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| Some sculptures of OYASAF collection. |
2) BS: What informs
the choices that you make? How do you decide on what to buy? How would you
rationalize your collection?
YS: My choices are influenced in
varying degrees by the intuitive appeal of the
work, the artist, the depth of artistic dexterity in the work, the age of the
work, etc. I also consider the medium of the artwork and in the case of
sculpture the anatomical form and balance of the work. The balance of colours
in the artwork, the style of the artist, the creative appeal of the artist, my
knowledge of the history and position of the artist, the size of the artwork, my
expectations in the type of artwork (e.g. whether modern or traditional), and
of course the appropriateness of the price. All of the above parameters
influence my decision as to what to buy, very much beyond just what takes my
fancy.
Consequently, the rationale behind my
collection is two-fold. Before full consciousness of my role and responsibility,
I collected primarily with the aforementioned criteria in mind. Above all I
collected art with a view to satisfying my passion for artworks, to decorate my
environment and to satisfy my immeasurable pleasure in owning art and always
being surrounded by them—whether at home or in the office. However, I later grew
conscious of the need for me to contribute to promoting Nigeria’s art and
culture through my collection, in the absence of other infrastructure, for the
benefit of preserving our art, history, way of life and heritage. At this later
stage, my reasoning
expanded to include in-depth research
on the history of Nigerian art. This enabled me to discover the void with
regards to our art history, and in relation to the works in my collection. As a
result of this, I began to work towards filling those gaps as much as possible.
This is part of what led to the incorporation of the family run art foundation,
(Omooba Yemisi Shyllon Art Foundation) OYASAF. My personal collection is now
legally owned by OYASAF while I hold in trust, the equitable interest in the artworks,
on behalf of my family art foundation. The over 6,000 artworks in the OYASAF collection
is a strong statement about my passion for visual art and culture of Nigerian
in all ramifications, ranging from modern and traditional Terracotta, life-size
bronzes, metal, wood, plaster, stone and fiberglass sculptures, as well as
modern and contemporary paintings from earliest pioneers of Modern Art in
Nigeria such as AinaOnabolu, Okaybulu, Ugoji, Akinola Lashekan amongst others.
The classical African works cover substantial geographical spread including Igbo
Ukwu, Benin, Owo, Ife, to Eket, Ogoni,
Bazinge. From Ijebu, Egba, Yewa,
Ekiti, Ilorin, Nok to the Jebba region.
3) BS: Cultural
philanthropy is at its embryonic stage in Nigeria and throughout Africa. We do not
yet have the equivalent of the Gettys or the Astors or the Rockefellers.
Recently you set up OYASAF. Can you please tell us more about the genesis and
necessity for this foundation?
YS: The incorporation and formation of the Omooba Yemisi Adedoyin
Shyllon Art Foundation was engendered primarily by the realization of the sheer
size of the collection of artworks acquired over the past three decades. I felt
it was important to formally set up a foundation to safeguard the collection
for future generations.
Additionally through OYASAF’s
collection, we have implemented a variety of educational programmes which
include providing fellowships for scholars through OYASAF fellows which has attracted
nine fellows since 2009. We also support visual art workshops for artists as
well as for children. We have lent work to museums for exhibitions. Publications
of OYASAF’s collection are a high priority in making information accessible to
a wider audience. The premise for our activities is to contribute to the development
of Nigerian art, to foster exchange between Nigerian artists and scholars/researchers,
and above all to curb the flight of Nigerian art and artists from the country.
And of course to present Nigeria’s visual
art to the world.
4) BS: In the absence
of government interest in supporting the visual arts—the National Endowment Fund
for the Arts has yet to be implemented and the lack of a adequate Museum of contemporary
Art constitutes an enormous infrastructural deficit, which limits the level of
artistic and curatorial professional development in the country. Taking this
into consideration how do you see Nigerian artists competing globally without
the requisite physical and intellectual nourishment and platforms?
YS: Well, I have been asked this question many times and my
answer has always been
to the effect that Nigerians would
usually do well with or without these supports, but such support would create a
needed competitive edge. We didn’t have these supports yet we bred the first
nobel prize winner in literature, the Professor Mabogunjes, Awojobis, the Fela
Anikulapo-Kutis, the Yusuf Grillos, Bruce Onabrakpeyas, David Dales and many
more excellent artists and academics. That is my position on this.
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| Inside OYASAF collection |
5) BS: Which is your favorite
work in your collection and why?
YS: This is a difficult question to
answer given the sheer volume and diversity of my
collection. I will therefore attempt to answer your question in relation to the
different classifications of the collection. Now, with respect to painting, my favorite
is the 16ft by 8ft beadwork by David Dale titled “As The Evening Falls” (1994)
this made me brake the wall of my house just to bring it in for hanging. As for
traditional art, it is a Gelede headdress with the super structure of an EPA
mask in my collection. With neo-traditional art, it is the approximately 13ft x
3ft x 3ft sculptural piece by the late Lamidi Fakeye titled “IFA Story Of
Creation” executed as a commission from 2004 to 2007. In the modern sculpture
section, pride of place goes to the original mould in plaster from which all copies
of Ben Enwonwu’s globally famous “Anyawu” – the risen sun—was produced. As for
photography it is the image of a small time petrol dealer sleeping
with plastic jerrycans in his
wheelbarrow,which is used to hawk his petrol to buyers.
This photograph taken in 2009 is by
Ariyo Oguntimehin.
6) BS: What does your
collection say about you?
YS: There are over six thousand artworks in the OYASAF collection,
which I believe makes a bold statement about the obsession for Nigeria’s visual
art. It includes work ranging from modern and traditional Terracotta, lifesize bronze,
metal, wood, plaster, stone and fiberglass sculptures as well as modern
and contemporary paintings from Nigeria’s
pioneer artists such as Aina Onabolu, Okaybulu, Ugoji, Akinola Lashekan amongst
others. Traditional artworks are from all the geographical areas of Nigeria
ranging from Igbo Ukwu, Benin, Owo, Ife, Eket, to the Ekiti, Ilorin, Nok, and
Jebba.
7) BS: Are there any
African artists whose work you don’t have, but feel would complement your
collection? If so, who?
YS: The African artists whose works are not represented at
OYASAF but who would complement our collection include : Yinka Shonibare MBE,
Skunder Bhogosian
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