Aina Onabolu

Aina Onabolu (b. September 13, 1882, Ijebu-Ode, Nigeria – d. 1963, Lagos) was a pioneering Nigerian painter and educator, known as one of the founders of modern Nigerian art. Self-taught from a young age, he mastered European academic realism and became the first to introduce formal art training and realistic portraiture into Nigerian schools. His work helped shift perceptions of African artistic capacity during the colonial era and had lasting influence on Nigerian art education and modernism.