Sixty seven years after calling death’s bluff, the ‘abiku’ (one predestined to die) went the way of all mortals on Thursday, June 16, at the University College Hospital, Ibadan.
Born in 1944 and named Olaniyi Osuntoki, the late artist renamed himself Twins Seven-Seven to signify the fact that he was the lone survivor of seven sets of twins born to his mother.
Renowned globally for his unique body of imaginative mythical works that drew deeply from his Yoruba roots, the demise of the leading figure of the Osogbo Art School is no doubt a big loss.
Tough, immensely talented and confident to the point of arrogance, Twins Seven-Seven was in relatively good health until some two months ago when he suffered a davastating stroke. The artist’s condition was a closely guarded secret by family members who wouldn’t even confirm that he was dead when the news broke on Thursday.
“We thank God he is improving but we wouldn’t want the media to carry anything about his ill health. It is a private affair and we want it to remain so,” his younger brother, Raufu Osuntoki, told NEXT at the UCH on Wednesday, June 15.
They refused to budge even when told that the UNESCO Artist for Peace is not their sole preserve but a global citizen made immortal by his works. They pleaded that their wish be respected and that they be allowed to nurse him back to health in private.
His third wife, textile artist, Nike Davies-Okundaiye, eventually confirmed the passing 24 hours later. “My heart was troubled when I heard the news from my daughter whom they called. She was in Nigeria earlier to take care of him before she returned abroad. I am saddened by his demise, in fact I don’t know what to think, but God knows best,” Okundaiye said.
Though he had diabetes and hypertension, the workaholic Twins Seven-Seven never slowed down. “I used to tell him to take it easy; that he [was] no longer young and strong as he used to be. Shortly before we shot my CNN documentary, I still told him to relax, that he should stop driving himself from Ibadan to Abuja but he wouldn’t listen. He always said he was enjoying himself,” Okundaiye disclosed.
The artist confirmed his active pursuits to NEXT last year. “I still paint at my workshop in Osogbo and get commissions. There are some people who contact me directly,” he said, noting that age had not slowed him down.
But though death has finally stopped him, the legacy of the artist who gate-crashed into his destiny by dancing uninvited in Oshogbo at a 1964 send forth party Ulli Beier organised for historian, Micheal Crowder, who was leaving for Fourah Bay College, Sierra Leone, will live on.
Bundle of talent
Art collector, Yemisi Shyllon, who started acquiring works by the late artist 15 years ago noted: “This was a man who had lots of talent but he didn’t settle down to harness the talent, to optimise his God-given talent. He was naturally endowed, one of the products of the Osogbo School of Art founded by Ulli Beier. He stood out among his compatriots and carved a niche for himself.
“He had this very Yoruba folklore art which he developed to a very high level. If you recollect, his works sold significantly in the auction by Bonhams African Art Auction in Madison Avenue, New York, last year. He also sold at the one in Bond Street, and his works have been sold in the auctions that have been taking place in Nigeria. I think the arts community will miss him because of his unique style.”
Shyllon, who noted that the artist’s death is the end of an era, reiterated that, “The arts community will miss him, will miss a large player, especially the Osogbo Art School. You find that there is a gradual exit of the Osogbo players. There are still some left but the matriarch, Suzanne Wenger, left some years ago. Now he is gone. It’s the end of an era.”
A born artist
Another leading member of the pioneering Osogbo Art School, Muraina Oyelami, also said that though dead, his friend lives. “He left a legacy, his works have immortalised him. He is not dead and will never die.”
Oyelami, who also touched on the artist’s life as an entertainer added, “He was a born artist. He loved singing and dancing and was a showman to the core. He was multi-talented, an all rounder.”
Jimoh Buraimoh, another Osogbo artist indirectly confirmed that the family was secretive about the artist’s illness. “I didn’t hear of his sickness until two weeks ago. His death is a painful loss because he is supposed to be reaping the fruits of his labour now. He really laboured to achieve what he did.”
The artist’s death, he added, is a setback for the museum they [members of the Osogbo Art School] are establishing. “We were planning to have a permanent gallery in Osogbo containing our works; where people will see works by him, Afolabi, Rufus Ogundele, Mayakiri, Adebisi Fabunmi, and others. We are working on it and pray we will succeed. It would have been great if we can have some of his works and those of our departed colleagues but how do we get them now? People who have bought the works won’t release them to us to keep in our gallery. May God grant him eternal rest.”
Good memories
Chair, Visual Arts Society of Nigeria, Sammy Olagbaju, who expressed shock at the artist’s demise, said “I have good memories of him. I collected him in the early days and recollect the first exhibition the Osogbo artists held at the Goethe Institut, Lagos, in the 60s. I was privileged to introduce him and the other exhibiting artists to the audience.”
The governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, who described Twins Seven-Seven as a leading light among Osogbo artists said, “We will surely miss him, but we are consoled that he left behind a legacy that will always inspire others to excel.”
Former Osun State governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, expressed similar sentiment through Lasisi Olagunju, his chief press secretary. “News of Twin Seven Seven’s death is simply unbelievable. It is another great blow to Osun State and to Nigeria. He was a great culture ambassador of the Yoruba and of the nation. His place in the sustenance of our culture as a people will remain difficult to fill. Through him, many artists have grown up to make a fecund forest of cultural idealists. He gave his very best.”
All rounder
Though most popular as a visual artist, Twins Seven Seven was also a musician with a number of albums. ‘Shandoroko’ is perhaps the most popular.
The man with works in international collections including The Smithsonian was also a politician. He was a card carrying member of the National Party of Nigeria and attempted to represent Osogbo in the House of Representatives in 1983 before he was thwarted. “Some people who knew I wasn’t from Osogbo blocked my way but I put my youth into action in revenge. Nobody can be anything in this world without being tough,” he had disclosed.
Twins Seven Seven was also a member of the Social Democratic Party, Peoples Democratic Party, and a personal friend of former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, whom he thought would find a place for him in government in 1999.
Sadly, this didn’t happen and he decided to embark on the ill-fated sojourn to the US where he had to file for bankruptcy. Some patrons in the US later rehabilitated him and he bounced back, producing great works.
His only unfulfilled wish, it will appear, is not becoming a king. “If God grants me long life, I will like to be the king in this city [Olubadan of Ibadan]. That’s my hope,” he had said last year.
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