Kofi Antubam
Kofi Antubam (1922–1964), was a Ghanaian artist and designer. His work as official "state artist", appointed by Kwame Nkrumah, shaped the national identity of the newly independent country of Ghana. Antubam's art practice included easel painting, mural and mosaic, and wood carving.
Also recorded as Kofi Anto
Kofi Antubam
- Born
- 1922
- Died
- 1964
- Nationality
- Ghana
- Occupation
- painter · artist
- Languages
- English
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Kofi Antubam (1922–1964), was a Ghanaian artist and designer. His work as official "state artist", appointed by Kwame Nkrumah, shaped the national identity of the newly independent country of Ghana. Antubam's art practice included easel painting, mural and mosaic, and wood carving.
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Kofi Antubam (1922–1964) was an artist and painter, a national of Ghana. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
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wikidata · Q21467258 · wikipedia · Kofi Antubam
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Life
Life
His government commissions to design the symbols of state introduced the Akan adinkra symbols and traditions to represent the new nation state. In one prominent scholar's view, according to Antubam, "certain cultural traditions belonged to societies past; they were important and should be studied, but their principle utility was in supporting new, composite forms for the symbolic repertoire of the new nation." He was the founding president of the Ghana Society of Artists and a member of the Arts Council of Ghana. Antubam's artwork is in the national collections of Ghana, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.
Antubam was born in 1922 to the family of Maame and Nana Mensah. His father died when Antubam was at a young age, thereafter his uncle took him to Kumasi to start his education. He later spent some time in Jos, Nigeria, and also at Adisadel College. It was while at Adisadel College that he was encouraged to develop his craft. The principal, Father John Knight suggested to the governor, Arnold Hodson to commission the young Antubam to make a clay bust. After favorable reception of the sculpted work, he obtained sponsorship to attend Achimota College. At Achimota College, he was a pupil of a Russian-born sculptor and art teacher, Herbert Vladimir Meyerowitz, a teacher who encouraged his students to absorb everyday community life as inspiration and not just copying European art traditions. Antubam's years at Achimota included completing an arts and craft course, teacher training course and a primary course. After graduation, Antubam supported himself through teaching, he also produced and sold figurative paintings. Between 1948 and 1950, he won a scholarship to study at Goldsmiths College, London. In the 1950s, Antubam developed various works of arts and craft including Nkrumah's presidential mace and chair, various state commissioned relief mural carvings. Antubam also designed stamps for Ghana. In 1963, he published Ghana's Heritage of Culture, a book that treats Ghana's contribution to the world of art and a medium Antubam used to make a case for a national art that represents Ghana's political and cultural history.
Identity
Identity
Kofi Antubam is recorded with the occupation painter. Recorded as a citizen of Ghana.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1922
Kofi Antubam was born on 1 January 1922.
1964
Kofi Antubam died on 1 January 1964.
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reference work
- “Kofi Antubam”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q21467258: Kofi Antubam
General reference · Wikidata
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Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Cowcher, Kate. Art, Socialism, and Solidarity at the International Congress of Africanists, 1962–1973. African Arts. 54. 3. 14–27. 2021. 1937-2108.
- 2.Kwami, Atta. A Companion to Modern African Art. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 218–236. 2013. 9781118515105.
- 3.Woets, Rhoda. The Recreation of Modern and African Art at Achimota School in the Gold Coast (1927–52). The Journal of African History. 55. 3. 445–465. 2014. 1469-5138.
- 4.Cowcher, Kate. Art, Socialism, and Solidarity at the International Congress of Africanists, 1962–1973. African Arts. 54. 3. 14–27. 2021. 1937-2108.
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