The Artist

Born in 1934 to a father who was a carver in the court  of Oba Iweka II, Osawe got an early start as a sculptor. His early memories were of creating sculptures with mud from the bank of the River Niger.
In 1956, Osawe moved to the United Kingdom to study art  at The Camden School of Art.  While there he participated in the commonwealth art exhibition in 1960. In 1966 he returned to Nigeria to continue his art. Between then and his death in 1995, he lived in Lagos and Benin and sculpted in variety of media including wood, cement and bronze. His subjects ranged from the elegant female forms which he was famous for to more abstract wood sculptures. His touch was subtle, almost unobtrusive. He always said he wanted to find the wood’s true nature rather than create a new identity for it.