Legendary Nigerian visual artist, Yusuf Grillo, considered as one of Nigeria’s outstanding and academically trained painters, has passed away.
According to NAN, Gboyega Grillo, son of the deceased, said the painter died of COVID-19 complications at 87 in the early hours of Monday morning.
The bereaved also disclosed that the body of his father would be buried the same day at the Atan Cemetery in Lagos.
Grillo is considered one of Nigeria’s outstanding and academically trained painters. The artist, born in 1934, was known for his inventive works and the prominence of the colour blue in his paintings.
He enjoyed international recognition in the 1960s and 1970s, while exhibiting a large collection of his early works.
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Grillo made use of his western art training, combining western techniques with Yoruba sculpture characteristics.
He attended Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology, Zaria; Cambridge University; and also schooled in Germany and the United States of America.
Grillo was a former head of the department of Art and Printing, Yaba College of Technology in Lagos state.
He was the first president of the Society of Nigerian Artists.
May his soul rest in peace.
