Grass People, ca. 2000

Acrylic on Canvas
49 1/2 × 40 × 3 in | 125.7 × 101.6 × 7.6 cm
This is a unique work
This work includes a Certificate of Authenticity

Ephrem Kouakou, a leading African painter residing in Baltimore, Maryland, and Ivory Coast, merges indigenous African aesthetics with Western techniques. His vivid works grace esteemed collections, including The Metropolitan Museum and the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. Born in 1962 in the Ivory Coast, Kouakou, a Baoule group member, trained as a medicine man, infusing deep spirituality into his art. Themes of community, masks, protective spirits, and animal guides reflect an unseen world. At 17, he journeyed 2500 miles from Ivory Coast to Algeria before studying at top French art academies. Exhibited globally, his highly saturated works, blending raw pigments, are represented by Still Life Gallery.