Artist: Zacheus Olowonubi Oloruntoba

Discovery

Artist: Zacheus Olowonubi Oloruntoba (Nigerian, 1934-2014)

A traditional painter at heart Chief Oloruntoba uses vegetable dyes, hand-made papers and silk thread to create much of his work, with his vibrantly coloured silk and rice-paper works inspired by traditional Yoruba sources. Of his paintings he says, "The dyes are not simply colours, they are medicines that endow the paintings with different therapeutic powers, depending on the figures involved and the colours used."
Besides numerous one-man shows in London and New York, Chief Oloruntoba has exhibited in Antwerp, Brussels, Frankfurt, Geneva and Paris as well as Nigeria and the USA. Group exhibitions include the Museum of Modern Art, Lagos and The Commonwealth Institute, London.
Some of his more famous collectors include Queen Elisabeth II, David Rockefeller, Mohammed Ali and Ornette Coleman, the jazz musician, who is also a close friend.