Z.K. Olowonubi Oloruntoba

Z.K. Olowonubi Oloruntoba (1934-2014, Nigerian) was a Yoruba chieftain and heir to the throne of Ogidi, Nigeria. He was a spiritual leader, artist, practicing tribal shaman, herbalist, flutist, and filmmaker. His art is in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, Queen Elizabeth II, David Rockefeller, and Muhammad Ali. As a well-known practitioner of herbal medicine, he consulted and conducted workshops at such institutions as the Georgetown University Medical School. The Chief uses medicinal herbs to dye the fibers he uses in his tapestries and paintings and feels, therefore, that his art has curative powers for the viewer. The works in the Hammonds House Collection are made with black marker and medicinal plant dyes. (KS)