Untitled

Born in 1931, Ben Osawe was the son of a traditional carver. His father was one of the sculptors in the palace of Oba Eweka II of Benin. From his father, Ben Osawe received his first training in the art of carving. In 1956, he left Nigeria for London where he had his Formal training in the School of Graphic Arts (1956-59) and in Camberwell School of Art (1960-65). While in London, he was selected to represent Nigeria at the Commonwealth Festival in Glasgow in 1965 and in 1966 he returned to Nigeria.

In his sculptures, Ben liked to depict the inconsistency in human nature. He tries to capture the serenity and sometimes agony that can disrupt one's countenance. He produced a lot of artworks in wood which is the major medium he worked in. In this lot, he depicts a portrait of an european man. The pencil strokes brusquely outline the features of this male face and the strokes around the face, eyes and neck give volume and depth to the features.