Cyprien Tokoudagba, 1939–2012

Cyprien Tokoudagba was born in 1939 in Abomey, Benin. Throughout his life, he practiced multiple disciplines related to painting and sculpture.

As a restorer at the National Museum in Abomey, Tokoudagba came into close contact with the rich visual traditions of Benin — a country that served as one of the major cultural centers of West Africa before being divided by colonial borders.

Tokoudagba also created decorations for numerous Vodun buildings, from modest single-wall depictions of divinities or fetishes to elaborate temple complexes. These murals often feature symbolic figures of political and religious power, along with geometric cultural motifs. His sculptures draw from Beninese sculptural traditions — frequently anthropomorphic and monumental in scale. Using concrete as a modern substitute for traditional materials, he shaped it while still boxed, carved it before fully dry, and finally painted it. Many of these works depict Vodun divinities, with Legba as a central figure.

Without abandoning his commissioned wall paintings, Tokoudagba began in 1989 to produce large canvases that freely combined the emblems of the kings of Abomey, symbols of the elements (Earth, Fire, Water, Air), and various cultural objects. The resulting compositions resemble intricate visual rebuses — layered, symbolic, and deeply rooted in Beninese heritage.

source: Contemporary African Art Collection

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