Uzo Egonu
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Uzo Egonu (25 December 1931 – 14 August 1996) was a
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, ...
n-born artist who settled in Britain in the 1940s,"Uzo Egonu"
Diaspora Artists.
only once returning to his homeland for two days in the 1970s,Ulrich Clewing
"Three hues for Piccadilly Circus"
, Culturebase.net, 22 June 2003.
although he remained concerned with African political struggles."Uzo Egonu, Artist"
InIVA.
According to Rasheed Araeen, Egonu was "perhaps the first person from Africa, Asia or the Caribbean to come to Britain after the War with the sole intention of becoming an artist." According to critic Molara Wood, "Egonu's work merged European and Igbo traditions but more significantly, placed Africa as the touchstone of modernism. In combining the visual languages of Western and African art, he helped redefine the boundaries of modernism, thereby challenging the European myth of the naïve, primitive African artist."Molara Wood
"Uzo Egonu's Vision of London"
30 September 2005. First published in ''The Guardian'', Lagos, on 19 December 2004.


Biography

Born in
Onitsha Onitsha ( or simply ''Ọ̀nị̀chà'') is a city on the eastern bank of the Niger River, in Anambra State, Nigeria. Onitsha along with various cities and towns in southern Anambra State, northern Imo State and neighboring Delta State on the we ...
, Nigeria, Egonu was in his early teens when in 1945 he first travelled to England. Having already begun to draw while attending Sacred Heart College,
Calabar Calabar (also referred to as Callabar, Calabari, Calbari, Cali and Kalabar) is the capital city of Cross River State, Nigeria. It was originally named Akwa Akpa, in the Efik language, as the Efik people dominate this area. The city is adjac ...
, before leaving for the UK, he eventually studied Fine Arts and Typography at
Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts Camberwell College of Arts is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, a public art and design university in London, England. The college offers further and higher education programmes, including postgraduate and PhD awards. ...
,
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, from 1949 to 1952, Further reading on the Artists"">" The Creative Case for Diversity in Britain > Further reading on the Artists"
''Third Text: Critical Perspectives on Contemporary Art and Culture''.
and went on to participate in a number of exhibitions. In 1977, he was among the Black artists and photographers whose work represented the UK at the Second World Festival of Black Arts and African Culture (Festac '77) in
Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...
, Nigeria (the others being Winston Branch,
Ronald Moody Ronald Moody (12 August 1900 – 6 February 1984) was a Jamaican-born sculptor, specialising in wood carvings. His work features in collections including the National Portrait Gallery, London, National Portrait Gallery and Tate Britain in Londo ...
, Mercian Carrena, Armet Francis, Emmanuel Taiwo Jegede, Neil Kenlock, Donald Locke, Cyprian Mandala, Ossie Murray, Sue Smock, Lance Watson and
Aubrey Williams Aubrey Williams (8 May 1926 – 27 April 1990) was a Guyanese artist. He was best known for his large, oil-on-canvas paintings, which combine elements of abstract expressionism with forms, images and symbols inspired by the pre-Columbian art o ...
). In 1983 the International Association of Art called on Egonu to advise it for the rest of his life, an honour that he shared with painters and sculptors such as
Henry Moore Henry Spencer Moore (30 July 1898 – 31 August 1986) was an English artist. He is best known for his semi-abstract art, abstract monumental Bronze sculpture, bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art. Moore ...
,
Joan Miró Joan Miró i Ferrà ( , ; ; 20 April 1893 – 25 December 1983) was a Catalan Spanish painter, sculptor and Ceramic art, ceramist. A museum dedicated to his work, the Fundació Joan Miró, was established in his native city of Barcelona ...
and
Louise Nevelson Louise Nevelson (September 23, 1899 – April 17, 1988) was an American sculptor known for her monumental, monochromatic, wooden wall pieces and outdoor sculptures. Born in the Poltava Governorate of the Russian Empire (present-day Kyiv Oblast, ...
. Egonu was also included in two major 20th-century exhibitions featuring Black British artists: in 1989 the landmark show at London's
Hayward Gallery The Hayward Gallery is an art gallery within the Southbank Centre in central London, England and part of an area of major arts venues on the South Bank of the River Thames. It is sited adjacent to the other Southbank Centre buildings (the Royal ...
, ''The Other Story'', and seven years later ''Transforming the Crown'', curated by the Caribbean Cultural Center in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. He was a member of the Rainbow Art Group, an initiative set up in 1978, which recognized the main problem that exists in relation to the work and aspirations of all ethnic minorities in the art world, including their own. In later years he suffered two heart attacks and deteriorating eyesight, and on 14 August 1996 he died in London.


Style and legacy

The subject of a study by Olu Oguibe entitled ''Uzo Egonu: An African Artist in the West'' (1995), Egonu has also often been described as "perhaps Africa's greatest modern painter". Eddie Chambers has commented on Egonu's "remarkable ability to render landscapes and cityscapes as compelling and fascinating geometrical configurations, each very different in its representational aspects." His work featured in the 2015–16 exhibition '' No Colour Bar: Black British Art in Action 1960–1990'' at the
Guildhall Art Gallery The Guildhall Art Gallery houses the art collection of the City of London, England. The museum is located in the Moorgate area of the City of London. It is a stone building in a semi-Gothic style intended to be sympathetic to the historic Guil ...
,
City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...
.


Selected exhibitions

; Solo * 2004: ''Uzo Egonu's London'',
Museum of London London Museum (known from 1976 to 2024 as the Museum of London) is a museum in London, covering the history of the city from prehistoric to modern times, with a particular focus on social history. The Museum of London was formed in 1976 by ama ...
, London * 1997: ''Uzo Egonu: Past and Present in the Diaspora'', InIVA *1986: ''Uzo Egonu Now 1986: Stateless People'',
Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London, England. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a G ...
, London ; Group * 2015: '' No Colour Bar: Black British Art in Action 1960–1990'',
Guildhall Art Gallery The Guildhall Art Gallery houses the art collection of the City of London, England. The museum is located in the Moorgate area of the City of London. It is a stone building in a semi-Gothic style intended to be sympathetic to the historic Guil ...
, London * 2001: ''The Short Century'', Villa Stuck,
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
; House of World Cultures,
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
, Germany * 1997: ''Transforming the Crown: African, Asian and Caribbean Artists in Britain 1966–1996'',
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
* 1990: Herbert Art Gallery and Museum,
Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...
* 1989: ''The Other Story: Afro-Asian Artists in Post-War Britain'',
Hayward Gallery The Hayward Gallery is an art gallery within the Southbank Centre in central London, England and part of an area of major arts venues on the South Bank of the River Thames. It is sited adjacent to the other Southbank Centre buildings (the Royal ...
, London * 1986: ''Third World Within'', Brixton Art Gallery, London (31 March–22 April)Chambers (2014), p. 49. * 1975: ''Ljubljana Graphic Art Biennial'', Graphic Art Biennial,
Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...
,
Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
* 1973:
Commonwealth Institute The Commonwealth Education Trust was a registered charity established in 2007 as the successor trust to the Commonwealth Institute. The trust focuses on primary and secondary education and the training of teachers and invests on educational pr ...
Art Gallery, London


References


Further reading

* Eddie Chambers, "Uzo Egonu and Contemporary African Art in Britain, in ''Black Artists in British Art: A History Since the 1950s'', I.B. Tauris, 2014, pp. 56–73. . * Olu Oguibe
''Uzo Egonu: An African Artist in the West''
Third Text Publications, 1995. .


External links

* Layla Gatens
"Artistic Insight: Uzo Egonu"
NoColourBar blog, 5 November 2015.
Uzo Egonu works
at The Tate. {{DEFAULTSORT:Egonu, Uzo 1931 births 1996 deaths Alumni of Camberwell College of Arts Artists from Onitsha Black British artists Nigerian artists British people of Nigerian descent