World's Youngest Male Artist is Just 1 Year and 152 Days old and Has Left Art Lovers in Awe

Ghana may have been in the news for all the wrong reasons ranging from a financial crisis to a catastrophic cocoa harvest in the past couple of years, but there are also positive stories emerging from gloomy times. Ace-Liam Nana Sam Ankrah from Ghana shocked everyone when he turned up with 10 brilliant paintings in his exhibition in the country. But the thing that has amazed art enthusiasts across the globe is that he displayed such creativity at the age of just 1 year and 152 days, as reported by the New York Post. The exhibition was so impressive that Ghana’s First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo commissioned a painting from the whizkid. Guinness World Records took note of his achievement and acknowledged him as the world’s youngest male artist. All this appreciation was heartwarming for the toddler's mother Chantelle Kuukua Eghan, who hopes that it leads to further opportunities in the future.

It was Sam's mother that nurtured the boy's talent being an artist herself. She was commissioned to create an artwork for Miss Universe 2023, at a time when Sam was six months old, and it was very difficult to get him engrossed in anything. In order to find time to finish her work, Chantelle introduced Sam to painting which could keep him busy while being around her. Canvas and paint were like new toys for him, but his mother was shocked when she went back to check on him after a while as the boy had created a painting with colors that perfectly complemented each other simply by crawling. “It was clear that he found a lot of joy in it,” Eghan told Guinness. 

Chantelle wanted the world to see her kid's talent and named his artwork "The Crawl." It quickly garnered a lot of appreciation from people all over the world, and they were dumbstruck to see that it was the work of a toddler. “He was so intrigued by the bright colors,” Eghan told the BBC. “He already knows what colors complement each other." The mother shares her home studio with him and he calls her whenever he needs any color at his disposal. “Once he’s done, he says, ‘Mama finish,’” Eghan told Guinness. “Every painting is an expression of his curiosity and joy in discovering new things.” 

The boy managed to create an impressive portfolio of paintings under his mother's tutelage. Seeing the appreciation that Sam's art was getting, Chantelle decided to take things a step further with an exhibition. The event became a huge hit lasting from December to early January with 10 pieces on display of which nine were bought by collectors. His creations were also sent to other exhibitions, where they received a positive reception.

Chantelle could not believe that her son's talent could bring so much recognition. Her focus now is to channel Sam's talent in such a way that he could benefit from these opportunities. “Every child is unique, and nurturing their passions can lead to amazing discoveries and achievements,” the proud mother told Guinness.