Mel first traveled to West Africa with his late wife Jayne Cortez in 1970 through the “Educators to Africa” program. In Ibadan, Nigeria he engaged with the city’s large creative community, including Demas Nwoko and Lindsay Eseoghene Barrett. However, he truly felt at home in Benin City, returning several times over the years to study bronze casting under Chief Omoregbe Inneh. He was given the name Omoruyi which means “child born into royalty” in the Edo language. I first met Mel during one of these early trips through mutual friends.
Demas Nwoko, Madam Nwoko, Mel Edwards and Skoto, NYC, 2019. Demas was the recipient of the 2023 Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement award in architecture, 18th Venice Biennale of Architecture
Running since March 21, the sprawling exhibition features one of his 1963 “Lynch Fragment” sculptures . It hangs salon-style alongside iconic works by pioneers such as Uche Okeke, Bertina Lopes, Malangatana, Demas Nwoko, Ibrahim El Salahi, Ernest Mancoba, Alexander ‘Skunder’ Boghossian and Jack Whitten as well as Samia Halaby. Barbara Chase-Riboud, Francis Bacon, Jean Dubuffet, Jean Fautrier, Eva Hesse, Constantin Brancusi etc.
DESPITE his busy schedule as a master sculptor and educator-whose lifelong engagement with the Black experience through abstraction is legendary-Mel Edwards maintained deep friendships across the African continent and beyond. These connections greatly impacted his work and worldview.
Mel first traveled to West Africa with his late wife Jayne Cortez in 1970 through the “Educators to Africa” program. In Ibadan, Nigeria he engaged with the city’s large creative community, including Demas Nwoko and Lindsay Eseoghene Barrett. However, he truly felt at home in Benin City, returning several times over the years to study bronze casting under Chief Omoregbe Inneh. He was given the name Omoruyi which means “child born into royalty” in the Edo language. I first met Mel during one of these early trips through mutual friends.
A highlight of his 1971 visit was an audience with Oba Akenzua II, an experience that left a lasting impression. He later returned to the palace in 1985 to gift a “Lynch Fragment” sculpture to Oba Erediauwa. Mel traveled extensively throughout Zimbabwe, Kenya, Egypt, Gabon and Ivory Coast. His participation in FESTAC’77 in Lagos allowed him to connect with the global African diaspora, including Mozambican artist Malangatana, with whom he formed a lifetime bond. In 1978, he served as the American editor for Demas Nwoko’s New Culture journal, writing on African-American art for a Nigerian audience. Furthermore, his decision to live part-time in Senegal was facilitated by long-time friends, the late Souleymane Keita and Abdoulaye Ndoye.
While Mel always hoped to exhibit alongside
African artists he admired, the opportunity rarely arose in a meaningful way over his lifetime. Fittingly, the current exhibition at the newly reopened New Museum, “New Humans: Memories of the Future.” provides exactly that tribute. Running since March 21, the sprawling exhibition features one of his 1963 “Lynch Fragment” sculptures . It hangs salon-style alongside iconic works by pioneers such as Uche Okeke, Bertina Lopes, Malangatana, Demas Nwoko, Ibrahim El Salahi, Ernest Mancoba, Alexander ‘Skunder’ Boghossian and Jack Whitten as well as Samia Halaby. Barbara Chase-Riboud, Francis Bacon, Jean Dubuffet, Jean Fautrier, Eva Hesse, Constantin Brancusi etc.
It is a fitting tribute to a life lived in pursuit of a global family. Rest in peace Spirit-child of Ogun. We will miss you.
With Uche Okeke
- https://web.facebook.com/skoto.aghahowa
- Further Reading: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/31/arts/melvin-edwards-dead.html?
