YEMISI SHYLLON MUSEUM OF ART
Prestigious and unequalled collection that presents many contemporary Nigerian artists, as well as ancient art pieces from the sub-region: absolutely worth a visit! The YSMA is the first Nigerian public museum built with private funds, thanks to the patronage of the country's largest art collector Yemisi Shyllon, who has also donated more than a thousand works, nearly 250 of which are on display each season.
A surprising blockhouse with a superb clay-coloured armour, this grey and ochre labyrinth was designed by the Director of the museum, the Spanish architect Jess Castellote, a fan of Nigerian art, to immerse you in an immersive experience at the heart of Nigerian visual arts, from its origins to the present day. Two collections bring together renowned contemporary artists and masterpieces of heritage: terracotta sculptures from the Nok civilization, essential bronzes from Benin and ritual objects made of Yoruba wood.
Many works by major Nigerian artists such as the incomparable sculptor Ben Enwonwu - watch The Dancer and, with its fascinating shadow on the ground floor -, the famous Ghanaian and Nigerian by adoption El Anatsui, Victor Ekpuk, which is already celebrated by several museums in the United States, are gathered in a single place, the prolixes Nike Okundaye and Tola Wewe, the most famous woodcarver Yorouba Lamidi Fakeye or the father of Nigerian modern art Uche Okeke and the external bull of Adeola Adegun... The first floor explores materiality, with continuity between ancient and modern, when the second engages a reflection on artists and society. The complex and convoluted space allows the works to be seen successively in different ways, while the spectator becomes an actor in the scene.
Freshly opened in October 2019, YSMA is a teaching museum attached to the Pan-Atlantic University, with the aim of transmitting abstract thought and critical thinking to the youngest. A school bus will be chartered free of charge from various parts of the country every day to learn from artists and their works. A building is also reserved for children outside the museum, to express all their creative energy without risking damaging the works!