Wole Lagunju (Nigerian, born 1966)
Frieda, 2018
Signed and dated by the artist (lower left)
Inks on paper
30.5 x 22.9 cm
Ksh 55,000–82,500
(US$ 500–750)
Sold Ksh 305,240
Provenance: private collection of Ed Cross Fine Art
Wole Lagunju is a contemporary artist trained in Graphic Design at the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria. Wole graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts in 1986, and has gone on to develop a career as an accomplished illustrator, graphic designer, installation artist and painter.
Drawing adeptly upon his childhood experiences in Oshogbo and professional life in urban Lagos, Lagunju’s work is also associated with Onaism, a contemporary art movement of the Ife Art School dedicated to reimagining the forms and philosophies of traditional Yoruba art and design. His paintings and installations interrogate and explore themes including changing nature of the traditional African market, spurred on by contemporary globalization.
Recent series draw upon images of Gelede masks and the Victorian era, offering a critique of the racial and social hierarchies of the 19th century. Wole was awarded a Phillip Ravenhill Fellowship by the UCLA in 2006 and a Pollock Krasner award in 2009. He lives in the USA.