Nigeria
Born in: 1938
Sculpture
Born in 1938, Buraimoh Gbadamosi was a carpenter who went on to become one of the principal sculptors for the Oshogbo shrines which were restored by Susanne Wenger, a German-Nigerian artist. After hiring him to do some carpentry at the Shrines, Suzanne Wenger, who was his friend and neighbor, suggested that he try relief carving. Gbadamosi took to Wenger’s suggestion and began carving wood, then moved on to stone which became his most popular medium.
His stone works are “solid and columnar works with round heads and large round eyes” which Susanne Wenger described as “reassuring and gentle old friends”. The kind of stone he used for his work (which is called a soft stone) is a material believed to be sacred to the Yoruba creator-god, Obatala, the smallest of these stones are said to represent benevolent earth spirits, protectors of house and garden. Gbadamosi practiced Islam and was deeply involved in the Egungun masquerade cult, a Yoruba cult which aims to celebrate the return of ancestral spirits
He died in 2014. His works can be found in prominent art institutions like the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and Bonhams.