Grillo Art Museum
Yusuf Grillo
Yusuf Grillo
Yusuf Grillo
Prof. Yusuf Adebayo Cameron Grillo (Dec 1934 – Aug 2021). Born in 1934 in Lagos, Grillo had his primary and secondary education in Lagos and was briefly tutored by Aina Onabolu. Grillo was admitted into the National College of Arts and Science (NCAST), Zaria in 1955 and graduated in 1960. He obtained the Art Teachers' Certificate in 1961.He later took postgraduate programmes in the United Kingdom. Grillo started teaching art at the present day Yaba College of Technology in 1961 where he joined Paul Mount, the British sculptor as a co teacher. He later set up the art department of the Yaba College of Technology where he was instrumental to the building of the School of Art Design and Printing.
Prof. Yusuf Adebayo Cameron Grillo (Dec 1934 – Aug 2021). Born in 1934 in Lagos, Grillo had his primary and secondary education in Lagos and was briefly tutored by Aina Onabolu. Grillo was admitted into the National College of Arts and Science (NCAST), Zaria in 1955 and graduated in 1960. He obtained the Art Teachers' Certificate in 1961.He later took postgraduate programmes in the United Kingdom. Grillo started teaching art at the present day Yaba College of Technology in 1961 where he joined Paul Mount, the British sculptor as a co teacher. He later set up the art department of the Yaba College of Technology where he was instrumental to the building of the School of Art Design and Printing.
Prof. Yusuf Adebayo Cameron Grillo (Dec 1934 – Aug 2021). Born in 1934 in Lagos, Grillo had his primary and secondary education in Lagos and was briefly tutored by Aina Onabolu. Grillo was admitted into the National College of Arts and Science (NCAST), Zaria in 1955 and graduated in 1960. He obtained the Art Teachers' Certificate in 1961.He later took postgraduate programmes in the United Kingdom. Grillo started teaching art at the present day Yaba College of Technology in 1961 where he joined Paul Mount, the British sculptor as a co teacher. He later set up the art department of the Yaba College of Technology where he was instrumental to the building of the School of Art Design and Printing.
Prof. Yusuf Adebayo Cameron Grillo (Dec 1934 – Aug 2021). Born in 1934 in Lagos, Grillo had his primary and secondary education in Lagos and was briefly tutored by Aina Onabolu. Grillo was admitted into the National College of Arts and Science (NCAST), Zaria in 1955 and graduated in 1960. He obtained the Art Teachers' Certificate in 1961.He later took postgraduate programmes in the United Kingdom. Grillo started teaching art at the present day Yaba College of Technology in 1961 where he joined Paul Mount, the British sculptor as a co teacher. He later set up the art department of the Yaba College of Technology where he was instrumental to the building of the School of Art Design and Printing.
Yusuf Grillo
Yusuf Grillo
He retired from the college in 2008. One of the acclaimed members of the Zaria Art Society, Grillo in his student days developed a unique stylized naturalistic approach to painting and sculpture. His use of colours is particularly interesting, notably the blend of blues and purples painstakingly applied on canvas. Grillo's commissioned works can be found in Nigeria and all over the world for example the famous EYO sculpture at Idumota, Lagos, murals at the City Hall in Lagos, the Northern Nigeria Newspapers building in Kaduna and also at the WHO headquarters in Geneva and Brazzaville, stained glass windows of many churches including those of All Saints Church, Yaba; St Dominic Church, St Johns Church Aroloya all in Lagos "I go back to my works over and over again, try as much as possible to achieve perfection. Not that one ever gets there." -Yusuf Grillo
He retired from the college in 2008. One of the acclaimed members of the Zaria Art Society, Grillo in his student days developed a unique stylized naturalistic approach to painting and sculpture. His use of colours is particularly interesting, notably the blend of blues and purples painstakingly applied on canvas. Grillo's commissioned works can be found in Nigeria and all over the world for example the famous EYO sculpture at Idumota, Lagos, murals at the City Hall in Lagos, the Northern Nigeria Newspapers building in Kaduna and also at the WHO headquarters in Geneva and Brazzaville, stained glass windows of many churches including those of All Saints Church, Yaba; St Dominic Church, St Johns Church Aroloya all in Lagos "I go back to my works over and over again, try as much as possible to achieve perfection. Not that one ever gets there." -Yusuf Grillo
He retired from the college in 2008. One of the acclaimed members of the Zaria Art Society, Grillo in his student days developed a unique stylized naturalistic approach to painting and sculpture. His use of colours is particularly interesting, notably the blend of blues and purples painstakingly applied on canvas. Grillo's commissioned works can be found in Nigeria and all over the world for example the famous EYO sculpture at Idumota, Lagos, murals at the City Hall in Lagos, the Northern Nigeria Newspapers building in Kaduna and also at the WHO headquarters in Geneva and Brazzaville, stained glass windows of many churches including those of All Saints Church, Yaba; St Dominic Church, St Johns Church Aroloya all in Lagos "I go back to my works over and over again, try as much as possible to achieve perfection. Not that one ever gets there." -Yusuf Grillo
GRILLOArt Ltd was established as a limited liability special-purpose entity, chosen for its ease of setup compared to creating a foundation. It successfully addressed the challenge of dividing a house among five successors, a problem the artist had avoided during his lifetime. The house, where the artist lived after retiring in 1987, became both a museum to preserve his memory and the home of GRILLOArt Ltd. The entity also provided an effective way to manage and dispose of the artist's personal and professional belongings.
GRILLOArt Ltd was established as a limited liability special-purpose entity, chosen for its ease of setup compared to creating a foundation. It successfully addressed the challenge of dividing a house among five successors, a problem the artist had avoided during his lifetime. The house, where the artist lived after retiring in 1987, became both a museum to preserve his memory and the home of GRILLOArt Ltd. The entity also provided an effective way to manage and dispose of the artist's personal and professional belongings.
GRILLOArt Ltd was established as a limited liability special-purpose entity, chosen for its ease of setup compared to creating a foundation. It successfully addressed the challenge of dividing a house among five successors, a problem the artist had avoided during his lifetime. The house, where the artist lived after retiring in 1987, became both a museum to preserve his memory and the home of GRILLOArt Ltd. The entity also provided an effective way to manage and dispose of the artist's personal and professional belongings.
GRILLOArt Ltd was established as a limited liability special-purpose entity, chosen for its ease of setup compared to creating a foundation. It successfully addressed the challenge of dividing a house among five successors, a problem the artist had avoided during his lifetime. The house, where the artist lived after retiring in 1987, became both a museum to preserve his memory and the home of GRILLOArt Ltd. The entity also provided an effective way to manage and dispose of the artist's personal and professional belongings.
Explore other exhibitions
TR Institute
Material Memory | Anthony Azekwoh, Gbemileke Adekunle, & Saheed Adelakun
+ Read more
Memory is not static. It is tactile, layered, and ever-shifting; etched into the surfaces of our lives through material, texture, and form. Material Memory brings together the works of Anthony Azekwoh, Gbemileke Adekunle, and Saheed Adelakun, three artists who engage deeply with the physicality of memory, using material as both a medium and a metaphor for personal and collective histories.
Memory is not static. It is tactile, layered, and ever-shifting; etched into the surfaces of our lives through material, texture, and form. Material Memory brings together the works of Anthony Azekwoh, Gbemileke Adekunle, and Saheed Adelakun, three artists who engage deeply with the physicality of memory, using material as both a medium and a metaphor for personal and collective histories.