Yoruba art has shaped African and world art for centuries, from royal wood carving and bronze casting to modern painting and sculpture. This guide introduces the most famous Yoruba artists and what each is known for.
Olowe of Ise (c. 1875 to 1938)
Olowe of Ise was a master carver who served Yoruba kings and carved palace doors and veranda posts, including for the palace of the Ogoga of Ikere. His dynamic figures are admired in museums worldwide. Read more on Wikipedia.
Lamidi Fakeye (1928 to 2009)
Lamidi Fakeye came from a family of carvers in Ila Orangun and kept the tradition alive in the modern era, carving doors, figures and furniture.
Twins Seven-Seven (1944 to 2011)
Born in Ogbomosho and based in Osogbo, Twins Seven-Seven was one of Nigeria’s best-known painters, famous for dense, imaginative works full of spirits and animals. He belonged to the Osogbo art movement; see the Osogbo art school.
Jimoh Buraimoh
Jimoh Buraimoh is known for pioneering paintings made from beads, a technique that draws on Yoruba beadwork traditions.
Nike Davies-Okundaye
Nike Davies-Okundaye, born in 1951, is a leading textile artist known for Adire and batik, and founder of the Nike Art Gallery. Explore her work in our guide to the Nike Art Gallery and the story of Adire cloth.
Yinka Shonibare
Yinka Shonibare, born in London in 1962 and raised in Lagos, is a British-Nigerian artist famous for sculptures dressed in Dutch wax-print fabric, which explore colonial history and identity.
Where to See Yoruba Art
Visit the Ife National Museum for ancient bronzes, the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art for modern works, and read about contemporary art in Passages of the Unseen. For artists in other fields, see famous Yoruba people. Browse our Artist category.
Yoruba Artists FAQs
Who is the most famous Yoruba artist?
Olowe of Ise is celebrated as a master carver, while Twins Seven-Seven and Yinka Shonibare are well known in modern art.
What is Yoruba art known for?
It is known for wood carving, bronze casting, beadwork, textiles such as Adire and modern painting.
