The Art of Osei Bonsu

Realism, Rurality and Modernity: Samuel Makoanyane, Julius Mfete, Zolani Mapente

“…In this respect, these sculptors' practice can be paralleled with that of Osei Bonsu and other Asante carvers discussed by Ross (1984). These Akan artists' works, however, drew on a wider-spread and longer-established tradition of wood sculpture made for shrines in indigenous religious practices (Cole and Ross 1977: 107-17).…”

“…These Akan artists' works, however, drew on a wider-spread and longer-established tradition of wood sculpture made for shrines in indigenous religious practices (Cole and Ross 1977: 107-17). Throughout his career, Bonsu received ongoing commissions for objects from Asantehenes and other Asante patrons (Ross 1984), marking his clear insider status and simultaneously masking the modernity of his praxis. While the sculptors of the Limpopo Province also worked for outside patrons, they generally drew on longstanding indigenous traditions of stylized figure carving made sometimes for local patrons (Nettleton 2000), producing works that could be considered modernist.…”

Art Studies in Ghana: Whose Responsibility?

“…After Antubam, Fagg (1968) was one of the first European art historians to recognise the contribution of Bonsu to the study of Ghana's art history. Recent writers, including Andrews and Warren, and Ross (1984) have consulted him on a wide range of issues. The art of Vincent Kofi, Ablade Glover, Ato Delaquis and others have prompted the study of contemporary Ghanaian artists as an area of inquiry.…”