The Record
Where Reuben Ugbine’s work has been shown, sold, written about and filed.
Every line links to its source. We say what we read, what we could not open, and where sources disagree.
The auction trail.
Invaluable lists 30 lots at eight auction houses between 2012 and 2025. Here they are by year and by house.
Counted from the Invaluable list on 21 October 2026. A lot is one listing, and one sale can have several. Several lots carry titles that also appear in the Estate’s catalogue, such as Janus, Meditation IV and See-Saw. The same title does not prove the same object, so ask the Estate before you assume a work is, or is not, the one you saw.
The ledger.
Read means we opened the page on 21 October 2026 and the note says only what it showed. Could not open means the site blocked us, so the note makes no claim about the content.
-
2026
Family and legacy
The Nation: “The sculptor whose art continues to shape Nigeria’s cultural heritage” (opens in a new tab)
Published 16 July 2026. An article about Reuben Ugbine’s legacy.
Read, 21 Oct 2026 -
2026
Family and legacy
Vanguard: Nigeria’s artistic heritage must be preserved for future generations, says Karo Ugbine (opens in a new tab)
Published 15 July 2026. Karo Ugbine, the sculptor’s son and a visual artist, argues that preserving heritage means documenting the stories and values behind the works.
Read, 21 Oct 2026 -
2026
Family and legacy
ThisDay: Karo Ugbine builds on family artistic legacy (opens in a new tab)
July 2026. Describes the sculptor’s son as a painter who also works on documenting and preserving his father’s archive.
Read, 21 Oct 2026 -
2026
Family and legacy
P.M. News: Karo Reuben Ugbine emerges as a leading voice in preserving Nigeria’s artistic heritage (opens in a new tab)
Published 14 July 2026.
Read, 21 Oct 2026 -
2026
Family and legacy
Independent: Karo Reuben Ugbine, preserving legacy while defining a new chapter in African art (opens in a new tab)
Published 14 July 2026.
Read, 21 Oct 2026 -
2018
Museum
British Museum: Traditional hairdressing, 2018,2026.1 (opens in a new tab)
A painted terracotta tableau bought from his Benin City studio in September 2018. The record quotes the artist’s own words from an interview that month.
Read, 21 Oct 2026 -
2018
Museum
British Museum: artist record AUTH227768 (opens in a new tab)
The museum’s record for Reuben Ugbine, with a short biography.
Read, 21 Oct 2026 -
2010
Gallery
Coronation Art Gallery: “Reuben Ugbine, carved wood” (opens in a new tab)
A listing for a carved wood work dated 2010, 48 x 40 inches. No price is shown.
Read, 21 Oct 2026 -
–
Gallery
Coronation Art Gallery: artist page (opens in a new tab)
Biographical notes. Check its dates against the museum record and the Estate.
Read, 21 Oct 2026 -
2019
Gallery
Google Arts & Culture: Material Times (Rele Gallery, Lagos) (opens in a new tab)
The story page for the 2019 group exhibition.
Read, 21 Oct 2026
Nothing in this group.
Where sources disagree.
Public records do not always agree. If you cite him, say which source you used. Ask the Estate to check a date before you print it.
The British Museum record and the Estate’s catalogue name Warri Secondary School. Coronation Art Gallery and some other sources name Urhobo College, Effurun, Warri.
BusinessDay and the Estate give lecturer and instructor from 1980 to 1987. BLERF also lists instructor work in 1976–77 and a National Youth Service Corps post as cultural officer in Minna in 1979–80.
The British Museum record says 1982. The Estate’s notes date his figurative terracotta to the early 1980s, and Coronation Art Gallery gives 1982 for it.
Know a source we missed?
Send us the link, a catalogue page or a photograph. The Estate adds what it can confirm, and tells you what it cannot.
