Paintings by Glover, Adamson, Rare Carved Elephant Tusk Surface at Uncle Sam Art Exhibition

Charles Ajunwa

Two masterpieces of paintings by Prof. Ablade Glover of Ghana, Nigeria’s Kenny Adamson, and a rare 100-year-old carved elephant tusk have surfaced at the inaugural edition of Uncle Sam Art Exhibition scheduled to open December 16, 2025 and runs till December 20 at Alexis Galleries, Victoria Island, Lagos.

While the two paintings of Prof. Glover and the rare exquisite 100-year-old carved elephant tusk are for sale at the exhibition, Adamson’s paintings in the collections of Uncle Sam Amuka, Publisher of Vanguard Newspapers, are not for sale.

Speaking with THISDAY exclusively, the brain behind the exhibition, Dr. Osa Mbonu-Amadi, who is also the Curator and President of Tourists Club International, organisers of the exhibition, said that the Uncle Sam Art Exhibition is conceived to be an international art exhibition.

“The international scope is already represented in this maiden edition,” Osa said. “We already have two accomplished US-based artists participating in this inaugural edition. We have two works from the distinguished Emeritus Professor Dele Jegede and three masterpieces from the US-based colourful and philosophical painter, Fidelis Atumah, also known as Atumakanism Afrikanism.”

Mbonu-Amadi, who is also the Arts Editor and Deputy Editorial Board Chairman of Vanguard Newspapers, praised the three paintings by Greg Onyeka whom he described as Master of cubism and camouflage.

“The world is yet to see what I see in Greg Onyeka. People bandy about big names in the art industry; I don’t. I assess artists based solely on the quality of their works. One day, the world will see what I see in Greg Onyeka and Fidelis Atumah, popular known as Atumakanism Afrikanism,” he said.

He invited all art lovers, especially ardent collectors to come and be immersed in the best of African arts at Alexis Galleries from December 16 to 20, 2025.

“Christmas comes early at Alexis Galleries on account of the Uncle Sam Art Exhibition,” he enthused.

Beyond his influential journalism career, Uncle Sam Amuka is a passionate promoter of the arts and an art collector. He pioneered the inclusion of cartoons and cartoonists in Nigerian newspapers, leaving a lasting legacy in both media and the arts.

For this purpose, a diverse group of Nigerian and U.S.-based artists came together to create original works exclusively for the USA Art Exhibition 1.0.

This event marks the beginning of an annual art exhibition series known as the USA Exhibition — standing for Uncle Sam Art Exhibit