Apostle Of Nigerian Art

Yemisi Shyllon is a man of many parts. He has distinguished himself as a professional in areas such as engineering, law, marketing, stock brokerage and even administration and finance. Yet, art remains central to his life. Art actually began as a passion in his younger days as a secondary school boy decades ago. Today, this love has come to occupy a very important part of him.

At the moment, Shyllon, who is at best, an amateur artist owns the largest private collection of art works in Nigeria. And for many years now, he has opened his doors to art enthusiasts, students, scholars, researchers and the international community so that they can appreciate the wonders of African art and craft. But Shyllon is also living his dream, which is encapsulated in his mission to provide art and artistic recreational facilities, using Omo’ba Yemisi Adedoyin Shyllon Art Foundation, OYASAF, as a medium for promoting and positioning African art for a pride of place among peoples of the world. The collector also has a vision of making OYASAF a leading resource centre on the history, heritage and preservation of African antiquities, traditional and neo-traditional and contemporary art reflecting the creativity and dignity of the African.

Now, Shyllon is taking his campaign further, having realised that he could actually do more with the African paintings and sculptures in his private collection. To this end, he hopes to attract and retain researchers, institutions and curators who may be interested in conducting studies around his works. The collector is also desirous of exploring and generating opportunities which exist globally for research funding, workshops, collaborative exhibitions and seminars in relation to the art collections in his private gallery.

The foundation is determined to explore possible areas of collaboration with institutions interested in assisting OYASAF in its drive at becoming a formidable art centre with enough resources to promote Nigerian visual art in particular, and culture in general. This will culminate in OYASAF’s eventual linkage with global foundations and museums who would in turn, help in the development of visual art education in Nigeria.