Zaria Art Society (Natural Synthesis)

Students at Zaria who, on the eve of independence, called for "natural synthesis": joining the best of indigenous traditions with what was useful from Western art school training. Its members shaped Nigerian modernism for decades.

What to look for

Indigenous forms, folklore and motifs painted with modern means; strong design and stylised figures; experiments with local techniques; a search for a national, post-colonial art.

Masters of the school

• Uche Okeke reference ↗
• Yusuf Grillo reference ↗
• Bruce Onobrakpeya
• Demas Nwoko reference ↗
• Simon Okeke reference ↗
• Jimoh Akolo reference ↗

Read more

• Zaria Art Society (Wikipedia) ↗
• Natural synthesis (Wikipedia) ↗