Yoruba Art

An artistic history of the Yoruba People

Ife bronze head

The Ife Bronze & Terracotta Heads

by Omololu Adeniran

What Frobenius saw — the extraordinary naturalistic sculptures that challenged European assumptions about African art.

Yoruba ivory carving

Yoruba Ivories

by Omololu Adeniran

Owo Art — lidded cups, masks, carvings. The virtuosity of Owo’s ivory carvers and the courtly regalia of the Olowo.

Yoruba textile

Yoruba Textiles

by Omololu Adeniran

Origins and evidence — Ijebu Aso Olona, Aso Ofi, Adire, beaded crowns and robes of Yorubaland.

Yoruba woodworking

Yoruba Woodworking in General

by Omololu Adeniran

Ifa divination boards, doors, veranda posts, masks, Sango wands, Ibeji twins — and the carvers of today.