Gallery mourns pioneer DG, Dike
The pioneer Director-General of the National Gallery of Art (NGA), Dr. Paul Chike Dike, is dead. He died on Thursday, February 19, in Abuja, at age 82. According to a
The pioneer Director-General of the National Gallery of Art (NGA), Dr. Paul Chike Dike, is dead. He died on Thursday, February 19, in Abuja, at age 82.
According to a statement by the Director-General of the National Gallery of Art. Ahmed Bashir Sodangi deeply regretted announcing his passing while expressing profound sorrow at the loss of a professional and a beloved family man.
The late Dr. Dike was born on 12th June 1944, to the Dike family in Enugu-Ukwu, Anambra State. He attended Christ the King School (CKS), Aba, and Abbot Secondary Grammar School, Ihiala, where he obtained his West African School Certificate (WASC). Dr. Dike furthered his education at the University of Ibadan, Oxford University, United Kingdom, and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he distinguished himself in Ethnographical, Anthropological, and Sociological Studies. His expertise in verbal and concrete Iconography has not only enriched our common lives but has also challenged us to the aesthetic values of life
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Dr. Dike rose from the ranks as Ethnographer grade 2 at the National Museum in 1971, to Director, Training and Research from 1990-1993. He was later appointed Director/Chief Executive of the National Gallery of Art in 1993, a position he held until his retirement in 2006. As the pioneer Director-General, he laid the enviable foundation on which the gallery stands today. It is to his credit that the Gallery has 25 outstations across the 6 geopolitical zones in the country. Dr. Dike also brought in several reforms, introducing both local and International programs that are still relevant today
A publisher, writer, historian and editor, late Dr. Dike held numerous positions and was a member of many associations, including Research Fellow at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru; Member of the Nigerian Anthropological and Sociological Association; Member of the Nigerian Economic Society; Member of the Art Council of the Studies Association; Member of the International Committee on Monuments and Sites of Africa and the Interior Committee of Museums ICOMOS/ICOM; President of the International Association of Critics of Art, Nigeria; Member of Rotary International; Member of the Order of the Niger (OON) among others
Unfortunately, a proposed book in his honour, led by Prof. Krydz Ikwuemesi and receiving contributions from arts scholars since 2024, is yet to be published.
In his tribute Prof Ikwuemesi described Dike's death as untimely, the loss very palpable, and the pain overwhelming.
"But we have not lost his legacy. As we have captured much of it in the upcoming book, it should become the tool with which we can vanquish the pain and etch his name in golden glory in the history of art in these parts. Condolences to the family he left behind. God help us as the work comes to an end! Best wishes,“ he assured.
