Onyeka Ibe

Onyeka Ibe (born 29 September 1971) is a Nigerian-born American abstract expressionist painter.

Early life and education

Ibe was born on 29 September 1971 in Anambra State, Nigeria. He was introduced to drawing at an early age by his father, who was also a painter. At the age of 16, he exhibited his work at the National Gallery of Modern Art, Lagos, where the judges required him to perform a live demonstration to confirm he had painted the works himself. Upon proving his ability, he was awarded a full scholarship to complete his secondary education. In 1998, his first visit to the United States was sponsored by Ebony magazine and Magic Johnson's Midsummer Night Magic charity event for indigent African American students. In 2002, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution described him as one of the most exciting young painters to emerge from Sub-Saharan Africa since the 1990s.