Existing comment:
Nigeria
Handmade carved wooden doors by Lamidi Olonade Fakeye; made from single tree that was 700 years old
Lamidi Olonade Fakeye (1928–2009) was born in Ila Orangun, Nigeria. He was a gifted woodcarver who was named a "Living Treasure" by UNESCO in 2006.
Fakeye belonged to the Yoruba ethnic group, whose most important art form is woodcarving. He was a fifth-generation member of a celebrated woodcarving family and was given the prophetic middle name Olonade, which means "the carver has arrived."
Fakeye's career began at 10 when he carved his first piece and began studying traditional Yoruba art under his father. Later, he was apprenticed to a master carver. His career prospered, and in 1973 he received the commission for the African Lounge doors.
Later in life, he apprenticed several of his nephews so the Fakeye family's artistic heritage would continue into its sixth generation. |