Nike Art Gallery

Nike Art Gallery is a private art gallery and cultural center in Nigeria, recognized as one of the largest of its kind in West Africa. Owned by artist and philanthropist Nike Davies-Okundaye, the institution serves as a major exhibition space and educational hub. Its flagship location in Lekki, Lagos, holds a collection of approximately 8,000 diverse artworks by various Nigerian artists. Beyond its role as a commercial gallery and permanent exhibition site, the center provides free training and workshops for Nigerian artists and artisans, with a particular emphasis on traditional textile arts.

The institution originated in 1983 when Okundaye established the first gallery in Oshogbo without government assistance. Her initial goal was to provide cultural and artistic preparation for young people, starting with twenty female students who lacked the financial means to pursue other studies. Early operations involved Okundaye selling her own artworks and organizing art seminars. The organization expanded significantly over the following decades. In 1994, Okundaye established Nike Art Productions Limited, followed by a textile center in Ogidi in 1996 that employed roughly two hundred women. The Art and Culture Research Center opened in Abuja in 2002, featuring an art museum and a textile center that was the first in Nigeria to offer research platforms on weaving. Nike Art Gallery Limited and the Nike Research Centre for Art and Culture Limited were subsequently formed in 2007. Over 3,000 Nigerian youths have since specialized in textile art through these programs, using art as a means of livelihood.

The gallery's holdings encompass approximately 8,000 diverse artworks created by various Nigerian artists. The collection includes paintings and sculptures, representing a broad spectrum of Nigerian contemporary and traditional artistic practices. In addition to serving as a permanent exhibition space for these visual artworks, the institution maintains a strong focus on traditional African textile arts, offering specialized courses in traditional dyeing, batik, and beadwork that draw international researchers and scholars.

Among the numerous artists represented in the gallery's 8,000-work collection are pieces by Chief Josephine Oboh Macleod. The institution also preserves and showcases traditional African textile works produced through its workshop programs, reflecting its dual mission as both an exhibition venue and a working center for traditional craft production.

The flagship Lekki gallery is housed in a five-story building situated on the Umaru Musa Yar'Adua Expressway. According to CNN, this Lagos location is one of the largest private galleries in Africa. The structure originally comprised four floors before being increased to five through subsequent renovations. The building functions not only as an exhibition space but also as a recognized tourist site. The interior accommodates various workshops and studios for disciplines including painting, music, weaving, mosaic, and batik, without a fixed study plan, and admits university students for industrial design and textile specialization programs.

Nike Art Gallery operates across four locations in Nigeria: Lagos (Lekki), Oshogbo, Ogidi, and Abuja. The institution remains under the ownership and direction of Oyenike Monica Okundaye, who serves as the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nike Center for Art and Culture. A foundation has been established to support the center's various activities, involving local personalities who promote the territory. The workshops attract participants not only from Nigerian universities but also from Europe, Canada, and the United States, solidifying its role as an international destination for the study and appreciation of traditional African art.