Plaster Cast of Terra Cotta Sculpture. Yoruba.

Ancestral Figure, Gabun, Ogowe River, Bakota

Walker Evans is an artist. 12 works are cataloged here, principally at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Walker Evans made stark black-and-white photos of carved wooden heads from Benin in 1935. The series includes Man’s Head, Bird, Head of a Woman, Head of a Youth, and an Ancestral Figure—each is a direct, unfiltered portrait of carved faces. You’ll see rough textures and simple shapes that feel both ancient and immediate. Tap any of these five photographs to look closer at the details.

Works by Walker Evans

Plaster Cast of Terra Cotta Sculpture. Yoruba.
Ancestral Figure, Gabun, Ogowe River, Bakota
Bird. Benin.
Leopard. Benin.
Rooster. Benin.
Snake's Head. Benin.
Figure with arms raised. WaRegga.
Man's Head, Benin
Head of a Youth, Benin
Head of a Woman, Benin
Figure of a woman. Senufo, Ivory Coast, border of Sudan.
Ancestral figure

Collections represented

Museum

Victoria and Albert Museum

The Victoria and Albert Museum in the United Kingdom is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects.