Prince Twins Seven-Seven passed away this year. He suffered a stroke and was hospitalized in Ibadan, Nigeria in April and died on June 16th.
Seven-Seven was one of the original artists of the famed Oshogbo School, which arose in the newly independent Nigeria in the early 1960s, and went on to become one of the leading African artists of his generation.
A self-taught artist whose work was modernist in style, he drew on the rich religious and historical traditions of his Yoruba people as inspiration for his art works. He was also a talented musician and dancer and continued to make music throughout his career.
Born Olaniyi Osuntoki in 1944 in Ogidi Ikimu, Nigeria. He was the sole survivor of seven successive sets of twins and so he renamed himself Ibeji Meje-Meje, or Twins Seven-Seven. As a member of a royal lineage of the Yoruba people he took the title of prince.
Twins rapidly achieved international fame, with major exhibitions in Europe, Japan and Australia as well as the United States. In 2005 he was named UNESCO Artist for Peace, and in 2010 he was the subject of a major monograph and biography, Prince Twins Seven-Seven: His Art, His Life in Nigeria, His Exile in America, by Henry Glassie.
It is now possible to find Prince Twins Seven-Seven’s work in museums and private collections around the world, including the Smithsonian Institution and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
