BMW Art Guide by Independent Collectors

The Ojikutu Collection

Exquisite showcase of treasures of African art, culture, and history

Photo of artist and collector Olusanya Ojikutu with “Market Lane,” a 2013 painting by Ablade Glover, in his home, which serves as a sanctuary for traditional, modern, and contemporary African art. Photo courtesy of Cara Ober for Bmore Art magazine.
Photo of artist and collector Olusanya Ojikutu with “Market Lane,” a 2013 painting by Ablade Glover, in his home, which serves as a sanctuary for traditional, modern, and contemporary African art. Photo courtesy of Cara Ober for Bmore Art magazine.

The Ojikutu collection is an exquisite showcase of treasures of African culture and history, comprising traditional, modern, and contemporary African Art that celebrates the rich history, vibrant culture, and diversity across the continent and its diaspora.

Through this world-class art collection, viewers are inspired and transported on a journey of curiosity about the evolution of African art from traditional to contemporary as they gain a deeper understanding of its role and influence in shaping world art history. The collection, built across continents over a few decades, shows how art can transcend temporal and geographical boundaries, resulting in a convergence of beauty, identity and spiritual essence.

The museum-quality collection includes a diverse range of works, including traditional sculptures such as a Luba caryatid stool from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a pair of Yoruba Ere Ibeji figures from Nigeria, and Senufo Heddle Pulleys from Burkina Faso, and more, as well as contemporary pieces that reflect the evolution of African art.

The collection also features established and emerging contemporary artists from Africa and its diaspora, such as El Anatsui, Yinka Shonibare, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Sam Gilliam, Barthelemy Toguo, Carrie Mae Weems, Bruce Onabrakpeya, Alma Thomas, Twin Seven-Seven, David Driskell, Lamidi Fakeye, Romare Bearden, Ablade Glover, Victor Ehikhamenor, Lois Mailou Jones, Dimeji Onafuwa, Monsengwo Kejwamfi "Moke," Dapo Ojo-Ade, Purvis Young, and more. Each piece in the collection has been carefully selected based on its artistic excellence, historical importance, and cultural value.

With an artist's eye and collector's taste that reflects his ardent passion, extensive knowledge, and connoisseurship, Olusanya Ojikutu has amassed a genuinely impressive, unique, and compelling art collection at his home in Bowie, Maryland, United States.

Hemba Male Ancestor Figure, (Democratic Republic of the Congo). Courtesy of Olusanya Ojikutu.
Hemba Male Ancestor Figure, (Democratic Republic of the Congo). Courtesy of Olusanya Ojikutu.
Baga Nimba Shoulder Mask, Guinea. Courtesy of Olusanya Ojikutu.
Baga Nimba Shoulder Mask, Guinea. Courtesy of Olusanya Ojikutu.
A Luba caryatid stool in front of El Anatsui, Untitled (detail), circa 1988. Photo: Emma Howells. Courtesy of Olusanya Ojikutu.
A Luba caryatid stool in front of El Anatsui, Untitled (detail), circa 1988. Photo: Emma Howells. Courtesy of Olusanya Ojikutu.
“Bardwell” (1976). Mixed media by Sam Gilliam (1933 – 2022). Courtesy of Olusanya Ojikutu.
“Bardwell” (1976). Mixed media by Sam Gilliam (1933 – 2022). Courtesy of Olusanya Ojikutu.
“Ore Meji (Friends)” 2023, Acrylic on canvas by Dimeji Onafuwa. Courtesy of the artist.
“Ore Meji (Friends)” 2023, Acrylic on canvas by Dimeji Onafuwa. Courtesy of the artist.
A 1972 Untitled (Abstract Oil Painting) by Hale Aspacio Woodruff. Courtesy of Olusanya Ojikutu
A 1972 Untitled (Abstract Oil Painting) by Hale Aspacio Woodruff. Courtesy of Olusanya Ojikutu

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