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Agbagli Kossi is a sculptor from Togo, born in 1935 in Be and died in 1991. He was famous for his work in the form of small wooden voodoo figurines, painted mostly in pink and white lacquer. He also created many figurines of twins and children with their mothers, known as wenavi. His works are quite recognizable among the variety of sculptures by West African masters. He was, as it were, the best among the masters of the African folk craft of Togo. In his very characteristic works, we can often find African multi-armed deities with obligatory snakes and other local spiritual paraphernalia. This, apparently, is the specificity and value of his work – he is recognizable and his work has strong folk regional roots. It is important to note that the sculptor was lucky enough to represent his continent at the very beginning of the mass discovery of African art in the West. His works were chosen for the iconic for African and not only art exhibition “Magiciens de la terre” (Magicians of the Earth), organized by Jean-Hubert Martin, at that time director of the Paris Biennale and the Pompidou Center. In 2008, Cossey’s work also appeared in the landmark exhibition “Mami Wata: Art for Water Spirits in Africa and its Diasporas” at the UCLA Fowler Museum. Currently, few auctions presenting African art do not offer the work of the Togolese sculptor Agbagli Kossi.
