Nigerian Art Phenom

Kareem Waris Olamilekan, 11, the youngest artist in Nigeria, drew a portrait of French President Emmanuel Macron during his visit to Fela Kuti’s New Africa Shrine in Lagos last Tuesday.

Macron was in Nigeria for two days starting July 4th. He attended a cultural showcase to announce the launch of the Season of African Cultural Season, scheduled to be held in France in 2020.

Kareem started drawing when he was 6, turned professional at the age of 8 and today at 11 is one of the most sought after artists in Nigerian. His style is realism. Every pore, every bead of sweat can be seen on the subjects in his drawings.