Lot 14: Asiru Olatunde (Nigerian, 1918-1993) Animals and birds in the forest unframed

Animals and birds in the forest
signed 'Asiru Olatunde' (lower centre)
aluminium repoussé panel
84 x 152.5cm (33 1/16 x 60 1/16in).
unframed

Like his father and grandfather before him, Asiru Olatunde was a blacksmith. In 1961 he began to create figures of animals out of recycled copper and aluminium, and this work evolved into a unique repoussé technique on aluminium panels. His subjects include narratives drawn from Yoruba oral tradition, Bible stories set in Nigerian settings and scenes from everyday life. One image seen repeatedly throughout his work is the tree of life, a universal motif that also recalls his connections to the groves of the Oshun shrine.