Duke Asidere
Celebrated Nigerian Artist
" Do you"
BIOGRAPHY
Duke Asidere (born 1961) is one of Nigeria’s most celebrated contemporary artists with a keen following internationally and in his native Nigeria. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree with first class honours in Fine Arts (painting) from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1988, and a Masters of Fine Arts in painting in 1990 from the same university.
He taught painting, drawing and art history at the Federal Auchi Polytechnic for five years before starting full time studio work in Lagos in 1995. He was mentored by Prof. Bruce Onobrakpeya and taught by Gani Odutokun who had a profound impact on his life and artistic expression.
Asidere expresses himself boldly through a wide variety of genre including pencil work, engravings, oil and acrylic, pastels and even transparencies. He was raised in a household of women, which is reflected in his recurring theme of the female form in his portrait and face series.
A Selection of My Paintings
Duke
Duke Asidere is a painter whose work has been shown to several audiences in and outside Nigeria. He was born in 1961 to a father who was a sailor and a mother who was a full-time trader. As a youngster his father was often gone, leaving his mother to care for him even while she continued with her business. The time he spent at home alone with his mother would in the future, form both inspiration and fulcrum for his art.
The seeds for being an artist were planted in Duke Asidere’s mind when he was a child. Duke had a culture of drawing at home and school. He said in an interview that everyone was drawing superheroes and there was a studio at school. Duke took his rudimentary interest and went on to study at the Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria and graduated in 1988 at the top of his class. He returned to study for a Master of Fine Arts in Painting under the tutelage of Gani Odutokun and Prof Jerry Buhari.