Ben Enwonwu and The Recreation of the Image of the Artist in Nigeria.

Abstract

The pioneers and heroes of Nigerian formal art education have not been given their due recognition in the history of Art Education in Nigeria. A lot of scholars have paid great attention to their works without highlighting their outstanding contributions to the development and growth of formal art education in Nigeria. In view of this problem, this study selected one Nigerian pioneer art educationist, Ben Enwonwu, who alongside Aina Onabolu stood out as undisputable pioneers of Nigerian formal Art Education. In addition to providing Enwonwu’s biography, the study highlights his pioneering efforts and contributions towards art teaching and learning in Nigerian schools. The study reveals that most of the works and contributions of this artist to Nigerian art have not been given scholarly attention hence the need for this work to fill the gap. No doubt this work will stimulate the interest of many scholars who are interested in Nigerian formal Art Education.