b. 3 August 1931, Agbor, Delta State, Nigeria | d. 2007 Lived and worked in Benin City, Nigeria Ben Osawe was a prominent Nigerian sculptor of the post-independence era, widely recognized for his modernist approach to wood and bronze sculpture. His early introduction to art came through his father, who served as a court carver to the Kingdom of Benin. In his twenties, Osawe refined his craft in the United Kingdom, studying at the School of Graphic Art and the Camberwell School of Art and Crafts. He represented Nigeria in the prestigious Commonwealth Exhibition in Glasgow in 1965 and held exhibitions across Europe. After returning to Nigeria, he spent years practicing in Lagos before eventually settling in Benin City, where he created elegantly abstracted heads, masks, and sculptural busts that blended African narratives with modernist sensibilities. His sculptural legacy endures in national museums, cultural institutions, and private collections, positioning him as a key figure in the development of contemporary Nigerian sculpture.