The exhibition "Yusuf Grillo like never before," showing at the Yusuf Grillo Musuem in Ikeja ended on August 31st. It offered a rare glimpse into the late Nigerian master artist Yusuf Grillo's enigmatic world, presenting works that have never been seen by the public.
This collection, curated with an almost archaeological fervor, brings together pieces from Grillo’s studio, including prints, gauche on paper, mixed media, stone and cement sculpture maquette of existing works-each echoing the rhythm of Nigeria’s modernist narrative, while revealing an artist whose forays into new thematic territory.
Grillo’s "Untitled VI" immediately commands attention—a mural that once adorned the walls of Unique Insurance in the 1970s. The company no longer exists, and the building has since vanished, transforming this piece into a ghostly remnant of Nigeria’s postcolonial history. Its colors, as vibrant as the day they were laid down, hint at Grillo's flair for vivid storytelling and his ability to imbue public spaces with an undeniable presence.
The intrigue continues with "Not 1 but 2 Kaybesi," a painting where drama unfolds around a king haunted by suspicions of his wife’s infidelity. The twist—a Babalawo (diviner) declaring not one, but two wives are unfaithful—exudes a theatrical tension reminiscent of classical Yoruba oral traditions. Grillo’s use of deep blues and rhythmic patterns pulsates with a tension that feels alive, compelling the viewer to linger and ponder over the complexities of love and betrayal in the Yoruba court.
Equally mesmerizing is the "Untitled 1" from the 1980s, a deceptively simple scene of a man walking near a tree. The painting’s muted palette and quiet composition starkly contrast with Grillo's larger, more dynamic works, yet it captures a poignant stillness, a moment suspended in time. It is an intimate portrayal of the ordinary, rendered with a masterful hand.
A particularly striking piece is the stone sculpture maquette "Sokoti and Omoloja," towering two stories high, located in the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry building. Installed during the organization’s centenary, this represents a love affair between commerce and industry, manifesting Grillo’s ability to marry the abstract and the figurative within a single form. Its commanding presence is a testament to his skill as a sculptor—a dimension of his practice often overshadowed by his more well-known canvases.
Grillo’s international reach is underscored by the inclusion of untitled murals from the World Health Organization offices in Geneva and Brazzaville, created in the 1980s. The family say they have only faded photographs from the time of their installation; their current state remains a mystery, heightening the intrigue of Grillo’s global impact.
The exhibition also looks into Grillo’s forays into royal and mythological themes with a painting of a king celebrating in a village square, a series of animal studies, and an arresting depiction of Shango, the Yoruba god of thunder, with his hair on fire and a nuclear energy symbol around his neck. The question of whether these were ever realized as murals or remain in some forgotten archive adds a layer of mystery that pervades the exhibition.
There is an evocative uncertainty surrounding Grillo’s miniatures of the Eyo masquerade. How many were made? Who has them? The exact numbers made and people who were given cannot be ascertained, but one thing is certain, the artist’s handwritten money calculations scribbled in his sketchbooks, underscores the often-overlooked practical side of the artist—a man mindful of his spending even while dreaming on canvas.
"Omi Iye," Grillo's last completed and signed work, brings the exhibition to a resonant close. A woman in white, an Osun priestess, sprinkles water, her movement evoking blessings upon the onlookers. The delicate strokes and restrained palette speak to a synthesis of Grillo’s lifelong themes: the sacred and the everyday, the eternal dance between tradition and modernity.
"Yusuf Grillo like never before," offers an exhibition that is more than a retrospective; it is an excavation of the unknown. It reveals a man and an artist whose breadth of vision is matched only by the depth of his engagement with his culture, and whose works—whether missing, hidden, or half-forgotten—continue to shape the landscape of Nigerian modernism. For anyone interested in the mysteries of art, this would have been an exhibition to see.
Even though the exhibition has ended, one thing remains- The unanswered questions will keep bringing these works back to the fore.
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