- Amid bitter disagreements with business partners
Amid the raucous of commerce and evilly disposed strife, former billionaire, Wale Tinubu, shuffled his way to the love of art. He recently bought two wonderful artworks from Peju Alatise, a Nigerian artist, poet, writer and a fellow at the National Museum of African Art, at over 200 million naira.
The beautiful artworks are used to decorate his new office building, the ‘Wings Office Complex’. The building located at 17a, Ozumba Mbadiwe Avenue, Victoria Island, Lagos was commissioned by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Hon. Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, recently.
The interior depicts Wale’s dreams of bliss; you could be forgiven for mistaking it for the fabled Atlantis. The panes of quaint decor, embroidered fabric and devices, ornaments the inside like the damasked wings of the pyralid.
Amid its enchanting premises, you could get lost, especially if you are a first time visitor. Recurrent callers at the highrise have been known to marvel and keel over in humility, in deference to its lavish treats.
Yes, angry, antagonistic debtors may be hitting their heads against the wall, circling and waiting to swoop on the diminutive Tinubu over his company’s multi-million dollar indebtedness, but the former billionaire oilman is not losing any sleep.
In fact, more than ever before, he seems to be on a roll and has remained his bubbly self. Indeed, nothing has changed in his lavish lifestyle of vintage bubbly and expensive cognacs or sailing on blue territorial waters in luxury yachts with supple, ready-to-do-your bidding human accompaniments.
Since he came into oil billions, Tinubu’s hip hop royalty lifestyle and its accoutrements has to be sustained even if the heavens are falling. Perhaps it is all he needs to relax and restock psychologically.
Interestingly, however, were the Daode Jing written in contemporary times, the medieval Taoist would understand that the five colours do not necessarily make a man’s eyes blind, sometimes, it awakens the soul and opens the eyes to life’s little beauties; like the beauty in a painter’s strokes and the poetry in his flurry.
There is no gainsaying Nigeria parades such men including Wale; many of them are connoisseurs of high art and ardent patrons of the most gifted talents. Their love for contemporary art is only equaled by their lust for life. Little wonder they spend great fortune on artworks and craft.
These exclusive band of art enthusiasts invest heavily in modern art knowing artworks appreciate over time; they know that a painting valued at N6million today could appreciate and command a price tag of N600million in a few years.
The best works of foremost artists including Negritude, Enwonwu, Mufu Onifade, Bruce Onabrapkeya to mention a few, excite their fancies.
