FOREMOST AFRICAN BANK GTBank Launches Virtual Arts Gallery
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Leading
African financial institution, Guaranty Trust Bank plc, has announced
the launch of ART635 (art635.gallery), a Virtual Arts Gallery created to
reignite interest in African art and drive the growth and development
of the local art industry.
Art635is
a foremost online repository of African artworks and is set to serve as
a leading platform for the promotion of indigenous artists across the
continent. At the moment, most budding indigenous artists in Nigeria and
across Africa have little or nowhere to showcase their works and make a
substantial living from their works. The Gallerywill significantly
expand the exposure of these artists, provide an enabling platform for
the marketing of their works and serve as a much needed motivation for
the further development of their artistic skills and talents.
The
launch of ART635 is the latest of the Bank’s sustained efforts to
promote African arts locally and internationally. Arts is one of the
four pillars of GTBank’s Corporate Social Responsibility policy and the
Bank’s support for Arts over the years ranges from collecting art work
from Nigerian artists, to partner with Tate and other Art institutions
to promote the value of African Art in Africa and the international
markets through project-lead initiatives.
With
ART635, the bank aims to further its support for African arts by
helping African artworks become not just more seen and appreciated, but
also to turn them into a much more profitable and commercially viable
venture for indigenous artists who currently earn very little from their
works. This is in line with the Bank’s initiative to go beyond the
traditional understanding of Corporate Social Responsibility as
corporate philanthropy by intervening in economic sectors to strengthen
small businesses through capacity building initiatives that serve to
boost their expertise, exposure and business growth.
Commenting
on the launch of ART635, Mr Segun Agbaje, the Managing Director of
Guaranty Trust Bank plc, said; “At GTBank we see art as an avenue for
unlocking people’s creative potential and by creating ART635 we aim to
expand the opportunities for art education as well as broaden the reach
and viewership of the works of indigenous artists.”
He
further added that “Although African art goes back several centuries,
the art industry in the continent is still young and largely untapped
and we hope that with ART635we can drive its evolution into a lucrative
and vibrant economic sector.”
GTBank
has consistently played a leading role in Africa’s banking industry.
The Bank is regarded by industry watchers as one of the best run
financial institutions across its subsidiary countries and serves as a
role model within the financial service industry due to its bias for
world class corporate governance standards, excellent service quality
and innovation.
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