Oseloka Osadebe, iconic artist and member of ‘Zaria Rebels’, dies at 89

Oseloka Osadebe, the celebrated artist and pioneer member of the Zaria Art Society, has passed away at the age of 89.

In a statement shared on Tuesday, Nn’emeka Maduegbuna, Osadebe’s nephew, disclosed that the renowned artist died on December 27, in Jackson, Mississippi, the US, where he had been in the last 25 years.

He said details about his funeral rites will soon be communicated by the family.

In 2018, Osadebe returned to Nigeria for the first time since 1965 to present a retrospective exhibition of the works he created from 1960 to 2014.

He titled the art exhibition ‘Inner Light’. The event was held at the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos.

The outstanding artist, playwright, theatre director, and teacher was born in 1934 in the city of Onitsha, Anambra state.

At a young age, Osadebe was admitted into the Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology, Zaria, Kaduna.

From there, he teamed up with his colleagues to project a new perspective on classical art while embracing rich African traditions.

They then formed the Zaria Arts Society.

The society became famous as the ‘Zaria Rebels’. They were also referred to as the “fathers of the contemporary art movement in Nigeria”.

Members of the ‘Zaria Rebels’ included Uche Okeke, Bruce Onobrakpeya, Demas Nwoko, Yusuf Grillo, Simon Okeke, Jimoh Akolo, Osadebe, Ogbonaya Nwagbara and Emmanuel Odita.

OSADEBE’S ACADEMIC CAREER 

Osadebe graduated from Zaria in 1962 with a specialisation in painting and sculpture. He proceeded to teach art at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka from 1962 to 1965.

Thereafter, the professor moved to the US under the Aggrey Fellowship for African Students to pursue his post-graduate studies.

He graduated with a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1967.

Osadabe bagged his second master’s degree in 1973 from the Goodman School of Drama, Chicago, specialising in scene design, lighting, and directing.

He completed his doctoral work at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois in 1981, specialising in Western and African theatre and drama.

He taught theatre and set design at US schools including Spelman College, Jackson State University, Northeastern Illinois University, Tougaloo College, and Central State University.

Regarded as one of the most important artists to come out of Onitsha, Osadebe retired in 2007 and spent 16 years as a visual artist at his studio in Jackson, Mississippi.