Dele Jegede (stylized as dele jegede) is a

Nigerian-American Nigerian Americans (; ; ) are Americans who are of Nigerian ancestry. The number of Nigerian immigrants residing in the United States is rapidly growing, expanding from a small 1980 population of 25,000. The 2022 American Community Survey (ACS) ...

painter,

art historian Art history is the study of artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Traditionally, the ...

, cartoonist, curator, art critic, art administrator, and teacher. Jegede was a Senior Post-Doctoral Fellow at the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

in Washington, DC, (1995). He taught at

Spelman College Spelman College is a Private college, private, Historically black colleges and universities, historically black, Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia ...

, Atlanta as Visiting Fulbright Scholar (1987–1988), when he curated the exhibition, ''Art By Metamorphosis.'' Listed in Kelly and Stanley's "Nigerian Artists: A Who's Who & Bibliography", Jegede was Professor and Chair of the Department of Art,

Indiana State University Indiana State University (ISU) is a public university in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States. It was founded in 1865 and offers over 100 undergraduate majors and more than 75 graduate and professional programs. Indiana State is classified ...

, Terre Haute (2002–2005) and Professor of Art at

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public university, public research university in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the second-oldest List of colleges and universities in Ohio, university in Ohi ...

Oxford, Ohio Oxford is a city in northwestern Butler County, Ohio, United States. The population was 23,035 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A college town, Oxford was founded as a home for Miami University and lies in the southwestern portion ...

(2005–2010). He retired as Professor Emeritus in May 2015. Jegede is recipient of the Distinguished Africanist Award of the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

. He is currently the Chairman, board of trustees of the Cartoonists Association of Nigeria (CARTAN).

Early life and education

Dele Jegede was born in 1945 in

Ikere-Ekiti Ikere-Ekiti, also known as Ikere or Ikerre, is a city in Ekiti State of Nigeria. It is an agricultural and mine centre. According to the 1963 and 1991 census, the population was 114,780 and 60,257 respectively, but the 2006 census recorded it t ...

Ekiti State Ekiti () is a state in southwestern Nigeria, bordered to the North by Kwara State for 61 km, to the Northeast by Kogi State for 92 km, to the South and Southeast by Ondo State, and to the West by Osun State for 84 km. Named for the Ekiti ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. He earned his first degree in Fine Arts (with First Class Hons, majoring in Painting) from the

Ahmadu Bello University The Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) is a public research university located in Zaria, Nigeria, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. It was opened in 1962 as the University of Northern Nigeria. The university has four colleges, three schools, 18 faculties, ...

Zaria Zaria is a List of Nigerian cities by population, metropolitan city in Nigeria, located at present time within four local government areas in Kaduna State. It serves as the capital of the Zazzau Emirate Council and is one of the original sev ...

, Nigeria, in 1973. From 1979 to 1983, he studied art history under Roy Sieber at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

Bloomington, Indiana Bloomington is a city in Monroe County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. The population was 79,168 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Indiana, seventh-most populous city in Indiana and ...

, where he received his MA and PhD degrees. His doctoral dissertation, ''Trends in Contemporary Nigerian Art'' (Indiana University, 1983), which focuses on the art of

Bruce Onobrakpeya Bruce Obomeyoma Onobrakpeya (born 30 August 1932) is a Nigerian printmaker, painter and sculptor. He has exhibited at the Tate Modern in London, the National Museum of African Art of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and the Mal ...

and

Twins Seven Seven Twins Seven Seven, born Omoba Taiwo Olaniyi Oyewale-Toyeje Oyelale Osuntoki (3 May 1944 – 16 June 2011) was a Nigerian painter, sculptor and musician. He was an itinerant singer and dancer before he began his career as an artist, first attendin ...

, was the first ever to dwell solely on contemporary Nigerian art.

Career

Jegede began his professional career in Nigeria as a cartoonist and painter. A contemporary of

Josy Ajiboye Josiah Akanbi "Josy" Ajiboye (born 1948) is a Nigerian painter, illustrator, graphic designer and cartoonist, sociopolitical cartoonist who worked at the ''Daily Times of Nigeria, Daily Times''. He was a cartoonist at the ''Daily Times of Nigeri ...

, another cartoonist who focused mainly on social genre, Jegede used his cartoons to comment on the excesses of the privileged and draw attention to social and political issues in general. Aderonke Adesanya, art historian and scholar of contemporary art of Africa, considers Jegede's cartoons as "copious sketches of the skeleton of nation....""Sketching Maladies, Making Meanings: dele jegede's 'Scriptorium' and Characterization of the Nigerian State", in ''Art, Parody and Politics: dele jegede's Creative Activism, Nigeria and the Transnational Space'', A. Adesanya and Toyin Falola, eds. Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, 2014. p. 296. From 1974 to 1977, he was art editor at the ''

Daily Times ''Daily Times'' may refer to the following national newspapers: * ''Daily Times'' (Nigeria), newspaper published in Nigeria * ''Daily Times'' (Pakistan), newspaper published in Pakistan ''The Daily Times'' may refer to the following newspapers: * ...

'', Nigeria's most influential daily. Jegede continued to publish weekly cartoons in the ''Sunday Times'', a sister publication of the ''Daily Times'' well into the late 1970s when he left for graduate studies at Indiana University. A short while after his return to Nigeria in 1983, he resumed his weekly comic strip, ''Kole Omole'', which featured a precocious five-year-old boy, through whom Jegede took subtle jabs at the military regime."The Fun of Menace: Four Voyages Around the World of Kole Omole" in ''Art, Parody and Politics: dele jegede's Creative Activism, Nigeria and the Transnational Space.'' A. Adesanya and Toyin Falola, eds. Trenton, NJ: AWP, 2014. pp. 77-89 Kjell Knudde ascribes Jegede's legacy and influence on cartooning in Nigeria to the artist's use of cartoons to criticize dictatorial and corrupt regimes in his country. In 1977, Jegede joined the faculty of the Center for Cultural Studies of the

University of Lagos The University of Lagos (UNILAG) is a Public university, public research university located in Lagos, Nigeria, which was founded in 1962. UNILAG is one of the education in Nigeria#First generation universities, first generation universities in ...

and organized cultural activities in conjunction with the Second

World Festival of Black Arts and Culture The World Festival of Black Arts (French: ''Festival Mondial des Arts Nègres''), also known as FESMAN or FMAN, has been a series of month-long culture and arts festivals taking place in various parts of Africa. The festival features participant ...

(

FESTAC 77 Festac '77, also known as the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture (the first festival took place in Dakar, 1966, the second in Algiers in July 1969) was a major international festival held in Lagos, Nigeria, from 15 Januar ...

). Among his colleagues at the Center for Cultural Studies of the University of Lagos were Bode Osanyin, a strong follower of

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

and advocate of total theatre. Others there were Joy Nwos

,

Akin Euba Olatunji Akin Euba (28 April 1935 – 14 April 2020) was a Nigerian composer, musicologist, and pianist. Career Born on 28 April 1935 in Lagos, Nigeria, Akin Euba studied composition with Arnold Cooke at the Trinity College of Music, London, obt ...

, and

Lazarus Ekwueme Lazarus Edward Nnanyelu Ekwueme (born 28 January 1935), popularly known as Laz Ekwueme, is a Nigerian musicologist, composer, scholar and actor. He is one of the pioneer lecturers of music in Nigeria and also a prolific writer. He is a schola ...

, foremost Nigerians in the field of music. Jegede began his career at the University of Lagos as a Junior Research Fellow in 1977 and left in 1992 as Director of the Center for Cultural Studies. He was active not only as a scholar, but also as a painter, with a style that deviated from the dominant social genre. He introduced satire into his paintings and focused on themes of social and political import, as in his 1991 exhibition on Lagos, the cultural and financial capital of Nigeria. In 1989, Jegede was elected as president of the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA), succeeding Solomon Wangboje, who was the first Nigerian to hold the doctorate degree in art education. During Jegede's three years as president, he secured a legal charter for the SNA, democratized the structure by creating state chapters, curated a major exhibition, ''Images of the Nigerian Nation'', with an accompanying catalogue of the same title, and led the campaign for the establishment of the National Gallery of Art."Monumental Strides and Humoristic Vibrations: dele jegede as President, Society of Nigerian Artists" in ''Art, Parody and Politics: dele jegede's Creative Activism, Nigeria and the Transnational Space.'' A. Adesanya and Toyin Falola, eds. Trenton, NJ: AWP, 2014. pp. 379-399 In 1993, Jegede accepted a job offer from

, Terre Haute, and relocated there with his family. He has developed and taught courses in studio art and art history. Jegede is widely acknowledged as one of a corps of African scholars who have continued to shape the direction of the field through their innovative scholarly research and curatorial pursuits. His strong critique of Jean Pigozzi's collection, which is described as the world's largest collection of contemporary African ar

has drawn a sharp criticism from Thomas McEvilley, who believes that Jegede's criticism lacks credibility because he has spent too much time away from Africa. In turn, Elizabeth Harney contends that McEvilley's position is an essentialist view of who should speak for whom In a critique of Jegede's work,

Niyi Osundare Niyi Osundare is a Nigerian poet, dramatist, linguist, and literary critic. Born on 12 March 1947, in Ikere-Ekiti, Nigeria, his poetry is influenced by the oral tradition of his Yoruba culture, which he hybridizes with other poetic traditions o ...

sees Jegede as "...a spontaneous, natural artist, singer, actor, dancer, and verbal aficionado, nurtured by the profoundly vibrant, diverse, and inspiring culture of Ukere in the pre-Independence, pre-Pentecostal days hohas had, right from the early years, all it takes to be a total artist." In 2017, Jegede was one of a distinguished number of citizens who the Ogoga of Ikere-Ekiti, Oba Adejimi Adu, inducted into the Ikere Hall of Fame. In 2018, Jegede was inducted into the Society of Nigerian Artists Hall of Fame, one of a cohort of 20 Nigerian artists, including

Ben Enwonwu Odinigwe Benedict Chukwukadibia Enwonwu MBE (14 July 1917 – 5 February 1994), better known as Ben Enwonwu, was a Nigerian painter and sculptor. Arguably the most influential African artist of the 20th century, his pioneering career opened th ...

Yusuf Grillo Yusuf Grillo (16 December 1934 – 23 August 2021) was a Nigerian contemporary painter, muralist and sculptor, known for his inventive works and the prominence of the color blue in many of his paintings. He was the founding president of the Socie ...

and

Demas Nwoko Demas Nwoko (born 1935) is a Nigerian artist, protean#Cultural references, protean designer, architect and master builder. In the 1960s, he was a member of the Mbari club of Ibadan, a committee of burgeoning Nigerian and foreign artists. He wa ...

, who were accorded the honour at the maiden edition.

Public collections

Jegede's art is on display in various public and private collections in Nigeria and the United States. * National Gallery of Art (Nigeria) * John Holt (Nigeria) * University of Lagos (Nigeria) * Lagos State of Nigeria government * National Council for Arts and Culture * Private collections in Nigeria and the U.S.

Publications

Jegede's publications include: * ''Contemporary African Art: Five Artists, Diverse Trends''. Indianapolis: Indianapolis Museum of Art, 2000 * ''Women to Women: Weaving Cultures'', ''Shaping History''. Terre Haute: University Art University Gallery, 2000 * ''Encyclopedia of African American Artists: Artists of the American Mosaic''. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2009 * ''Peregrinations: A Solo Exhibition of Drawings and Paintings.'' Lagos: Nike Gallery, 2011 * ''Bruce Onobrakpeya: Mask of the Flaming Arrows''. (ed.), Milan: 5 Continents, 2014 * ''Transitions: A Solo Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings''. Austin: Pan African University, 2016 File:Dele Jegede 1.JPG File:Dele Jegede 2.JPG File:Dele Jegede 4.JPG

References

External links

dele-jegede.com
* http://arts.muohio.edu/node/508 * Japhet Alakam
"Peregrinations as Home coming for dele jegede"
''Vanguard'', 21 April 2011. * Tajudeen Sowole

africanartswithtaj, 9 September 2011. * Segun Ojewuyi
"Painting dele jegede – A Feast Of Honours"
''The Guardian'' (Nigeria), 5 October 2013. * Tajudeen Sowole
"Transitions with Jegede’s palette of probity"
''The Guardian'' (Nigeria), 10 July 2016.
"Cartoonist & Art Curator Prof Dele Jegede Hosts Exhibition Tagged Transition"
via YouTube, 30 July 2016. {{DEFAULTSORT:Jegede, Dele 1945 births Living people 21st-century African-American academics 21st-century American academics 21st-century Nigerian painters Academic staff of the University of Lagos Ahmadu Bello University alumni American art historians American people of Yoruba descent Curators of African art Historians from Florida Indiana University Bloomington alumni Miami University faculty Nigerian art curators Nigerian art historians Nigerian comics artists Nigerian editorial cartoonists Nigerian political artists Nigerian emigrants to the United States Nigerian expatriate academics in the United States Nigerian satirists People from Ekiti State Spelman College faculty Yoruba academics Yoruba artists