{{Short description|Nigerian painter, cartoonist, and art reviewer (born 1963)}} {{Use Nigerian English|date=July 2022}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}} {{Infobox person | name = Olu Ajayi | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1963|08|18|}} | birth_place = Ososo, Edo State, Nigeria | death_date = {{Death date and age|2025|5|23|1963|8|18}} | death_place = Lagos, Nigeria | other_names = | occupation = Professional artist, painter, cartoonist, and art reviewer | years_active = 40 }}
'''Olu Ajayi''' (18 August 1963 - 23 May 2025) was a Nigerian professional artist, painter, cartoonist, and art reviewer, with over 40 years experience in studio practice and Art Administration. He was a chairman of the Society of Nigerian Artists, Lagos State chapter<ref name="covid19">{{Cite news|date=2020-06-07|title=Covid-19: Paintings have to go on - The Nation Nigeria|url=https://thenationonlineng.net/covid-19-paintings-have-to-go-on/|location=Lagos, Nigeria|access-date=2020-09-19|newspaper=The Nation|language=en-US}}</ref> and a trustee of the Guild of Professional Artists of Nigeria (GFA). Olu Ajayi was also a board member of the Visual Art Society of Nigeria (VASON), and a Fellow of the Society of Nigerian Artists. He was listed in the Who is Who in Art compendium, as well as being honoured as a Top 100 Artist.
During his career he held exhibitions in Nigeria, South Africa, USA, UK, Canada, and other European countries. He also sold his art in Burnham's Auction House.<ref name=lagosrev>{{cite web|url=https://thelagosreview.ng/national-gallery-of-art-mourns-passing-of-artist-olu-ajayi/ |title=National Gallery of Art mourns passing of artist Olu Ajayi |work=The Lagos Review|date=28 May 2025}}</ref>
== Early life == Olu was born on 18 August 1963<ref name="born" /> and was a native of Ososo, in Akoko Edo LGA of Edo State.<ref name="covid19" /> He graduated from the Auchi Polytechnic in 1984 with a HND in Fine Arts.<ref name="view">{{Cite web|date=2015-10-05|title=Olu Ajayi: Colouring the view|url=https://luxuryreporter.ng/2015/10/olu-ajayi-colouring-the-view/|access-date=2020-09-19|website=WELCOME TO LUXURY REPORTERS|language=en-US}}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Olu Ajayi illustrated '''''Xanti''''' by Neville Ukoli, and the '''''Aboki''''' Comic Strip of Defunct The Sunday Observer Newspapers. He was also the in-house cartoonist of Defunct The Nigerian Observer Newspapers.{{Citation needed|date=January 2023}}
== Career == Olu Ajayi was one of the early pioneers of water colour paintings in Nigeria.<ref name="view" /> After becoming a member of the [https://snanational.org/about/#:~:text=The%20Society%20of%20Nigerian%20Artists,Society's%20present%20name%20was%20adopted. Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211129225748/https://snanational.org/about/#:~:text=The%20Society%20of%20Nigerian%20Artists,Society's%20present%20name%20was%20adopted. |date=29 November 2021 }}, he rose to become the President of the Lagos Chapter between 2008 – 2014 and instituted the '''October Rain''' and '''Art Café''' events that marks SNA's yearly programmes.<ref name="covid19" /> He was also the founding member of the '''Guild of Professional Fine Artists'''<ref name="view" /> and his works had been commissioned work for several institutions including commercial banks, churches, galleries and blue-chip companies.<ref name="born">{{Cite web|last=Udo|first=Mary|date=2017-02-28|title=AJAYI, Olu|url=https://blerf.org/index.php/biography/olu-ajayi/|access-date=2020-09-19|website=Biographical Legacy and Research Foundation|language=en-US}}</ref> His works had been exhibited in Nigeria, Africa and Europe and served as a consultant across local and international art platforms.<ref name="bloom">{{Cite web|title=Olu Ajayi|url=http://bloomartlagos.com/olu-ajayi/|access-date=2020-09-19|website=Bloom Art Lagos|language=en-US|archive-date=18 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918224147/http://bloomartlagos.com/olu-ajayi/|url-status=dead}}</ref> He has reviewed Funnso Ogunlade's '''''"A Promise of Harvest”''''', Humphrey Bekaren's '''''"A New Pride”''''', Abraham Ogbodo's '''''"Painting a New Order"''''', Chinwe Uwatse's '''''"A Blaze of Colour"''''', and '''''"Eccentric Paintings"''''' by the Sunday Times Newspapers, Lagos.<ref name="born" />
== Style == Olu Ajayi was inspired by the 1980s art scene, Adolph Frederick Reinhardt and Salvador Dalí.<ref name="view" /> He preferred working on female forms using bold colors representing pseudo human figures caught in candid positions.<ref name="bloom" />
== Notable work == Market by the Palace<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ajayi Olu {{!}} MARKET BY THE PALACE (1999) {{!}} MutualArt|url=https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/MARKET-BY-THE-PALACE/D45ABB618CFEF15E|access-date=2020-09-19|website=www.mutualart.com|language=en}}</ref> (1999) an oil on canvas painting was his highest grossing exhibited work sold at Arthouse Contemporary Limited in 2008.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ajayi, Olu {{!}} Biography|url=https://www.mutualart.com/Artist/Olu-Ajayi/91FC96C5F1FB8F61/Biography|access-date=2020-09-19|website=www.mutualart.com|language=en}}</ref>
== Death == Olu Ajayi died on 23 May 2025 at St. Nicholas Hospital in Lagos, Nigeria.<ref name=lagosrev/>
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == *[https://blerf.org/index.php/biography/olu-ajayi/ Profile archive] at ''Who's Who in Nigeria'' *[https://artxlagos.com/artists/olu-ajayi/ Profile] at ''ArtXLagos''
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ajayi, Olu}} Category:1963 births Category:Auchi Polytechnic alumni Category:21st-century Nigerian painters Category:Nigerian editorial cartoonists Category:Nigerian comics artists Category:Comic strip cartoonists Category:21st-century Nigerian illustrators Category:People from Edo State Category:Living people