Measure of a Master

Kennedy Center Doors

Lamidi’s verandah posts and doors grace dozens of Yoruba palaces, Catholic churches, and civic and commercial buildings in Nigeria and around the world. In 1973, he carved magnificent doors for the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

The satiny finish on Lamidi’s work is achieved without sandpaper or varnish—just smoothing the surface with knives. Normally, an apprentice is assigned this task as a small figure requires up to 40 hours of painstaking work. After several years, an apprentice becomes thoroughly familiar with the contours and proportions of his teacher’s sculptures.