From Yelwa to Yola

For much of the first half of the 20th century, ethnographic literature paid little attention to the sculptural traditions of Nigeria’s many ethnic groups. The study of Nigerian art gained momentum in the 1950s through the pioneering work of William Fagg, whose books and exhibition catalogues focused primarily on the ancient art of Ife and Benin and on the Yoruba of the southwest.

In the late 1960s, numerous wooden sculptures from the Benue Valley emerged, bringing the art of the Igala, Idoma, Jukun, Mumuye and other peoples to international attention. Yet northern Nigeria remained largely unexplored. It was widely assumed that little or no wooden sculpture had survived in its Islamised regions.

This completely revised and expanded second edition presents sculptures in wood, bronze, stone and terracotta, revealing the rich and diverse artistic traditions of Northern Nigeria, from Yelwa in the northwest to Yola in the southeast.