Friday Focus - Bridging Tradition and Modernity: Lamidi Fakeye at The Hunterian
Join Samuel Reilly in this Friday Focus online talk as he explores the work of prominent Yoruba woodcarver, Lamidi Olonade Fakeye.
Date: Friday 31 October 2025
Time: 13:00 - 13:30
Venue: Online
Category: Hunterian
Speaker: Samuel Reilly
No woodcarver in the traditional Yoruba mode achieved greater global recognition during their lifetime than Lamidi Olonade Fakeye (1928–2009), who was designated a Living Treasure by UNESCO in 2006. Born to a long and prestigious line of sculptors, Fakeye honed his mastery of touch first under his father, and later at the prominent Oye-Ekiti sculpture workshop established by the Irish priest Father Kevin Carroll, before taking up opportunities to study and exhibit in Europe and the United States.
The Hunterian collection is home to not only a significant work made by Fakeye just before his career took off internationally – an ibeji, or twin figure; but also three further ibeji by Fakeye’s apprentices, all carved in 1959. All were acquired by Frank Willett, a prominent expert in Nigerian art and art history who served as the first professional director of The Hunterian from 1976–90.
This presentation takes up the rare opportunity afforded by The Hunterian's collections to consider four works of mid-century Yoruba carving that were completed at the same time by a master and his apprentices, while also considering them as part of the wider story of the manifold connections between Nigeria and The Hunterian that were forged during Willett’s time at the museum.
Image: Lamidi Olonade Fakeye, Carved Ibeji twin figure, 1959.
Biography
Samuel Reilly is an AHRC-funded doctoral researcher based at the University of St Andrews, considering how global attitudes towards Nigerian art were transformed in the decades after Nigerian independence in 1960. The particular focus of his research is the archive of Professor Frank Willett, held at the University of Glasgow. He is also an art critic and journalist, with reviews and features appearing in Apollo, ArtReview, the Telegraph and Artnet News, among other publications.
About Friday Focus
Friday Focus is an online talks series hosted by The Hunterian, University of Glasgow. Each session features a different speaker, sharing a deeper insight into our exhibitions and collections, research and work going on behind the scenes at The Hunterian.
The talks take place at 1pm over Zoom, and are 25 minutes long with time for questions afterwards. Recordings of the sessions will be made available on our YouTube channel.