Bunmi Babatunde, (Nigerian, born 1957)

Your Majesty

Your Majesty
signed and dated '2016'
ebony
116 x 150cm (45 11/16 x 59 1/16in).

Bunmi Babatunde was born in Nigeria in 1957. He studied sculpture at the Yaba College of Technology, and was awarded a Higher National Diploma in 1983. He established his own studio the following year. Since then, he has created a diverse body of work in wood, bronze resin and fiberglass. He has undertaken a number of major public commissions within Nigeria, including the 20-foot Eleganza 'Biro Statue' along Orile/Mile 2 expressway, Alaba. Babatunde is committed to fostering artistic talent within his country, and co-founded the Universal Studios of Art, Nigeria, alongside fellow artists Bisi Fakeye, Monday Akhidue and Abiodun Olaku.

Executed in 2016, the present lot is from one of his most recent collections. He described the sculpture thus:

"Your Majesty is an effusive expression of reverence to the Almighty in Yoruba cultural fashion. It is not just a compulsion but an appreciative gesture of the sovereignty and the loving kindness of the King of Kings. Her stretched out body is like emptying out her entire being into the salutation."