From her early fine arts education in Nigeria to further studies at Camberwell School of Arts, and City and Guilds of London Art School, Theresa Luck-Akinwale pursued mastery in her craft.

In Britain, she taught art while illustrating books for Thomas Nelson Publishers and the University of London Press. Her talent for portraiture earned her commissions to paint world figures such as John F. Kennedy, Queen Elizabeth II, Haile Selassie, and Nigeria’s own leaders, from Obafemi Awolowo to Shehu Shagari.

Exhibitions across London displayed the breadth of her work, but in 1977, she returned to Nigeria, bringing her expertise to the Polytechnic Ibadan and later the University of Ife, where she mentored a new generation of artists.