‘She sat for him 12 times’: The Nigerian artist who made a bronze sculpture of Queen Elizabeth II after her death in 2013
The statue, which was unveiled a year after the Queen’s death and was unveiled by her grandson Charles, now 80, was made from 3,100 pounds of gold alloy – more than enough to fill her 16-carat coronation crown.
Femi Omo-mowen, who is a Nigerian artist known for his “iconic” African figures, spent two years transforming the statue from a lump of metal into the 14-foot sculpture of the Queen.
The work, completed earlier this year, has been the subject of much curiosity in the U.K., especially since the Queen, who is 87, is not a regular visitor to her beloved country.
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The Queen’s grandson said the piece, which was previously on display at Buckingham Palace, was “a celebration of our shared history, particularly where I know I have a responsibility in Nigeria and the African continent.”
The Queen’s grandson, Charles, has said that the queen was proud of the work, telling a BBC Radio 4 documentary that “she was very pleased and said it was to remind everybody of the importance of the African continent and the Queen’s role as a British princess.”
But Omo-mowein said his creation was “nothing personal” and was not about the Queen’s death or the Queen’s role as a figurehead and a representative of the institution.
Queen’s grandson Charles, seen here on a visit to the Oyo state in Nigeria in November 2016 with then Nigerian Prime Minister Muhammadu Buhari, told BBC Radio 4’s “Today” show earlier this year that the statue was a “celebration of our shared history, particularly where I know I have a responsibility in