Jesus falls the first time
- Artist: Bruce Onobrakpeya
- Date: 1969
- Medium: Linocut on paper
- Dimensions: image: 243 x 590 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the “Jesus Falls the First Time” by Nigerian artist Bruce Onobrakpeya. Created in 1969, it’s a linocut print on paper that sits in a landscape format, part of a larger set of fourteen that re‑imagines the Stations of the Cross. What makes Onobrakpeya’s work striking is how he transplants a biblical drama onto an African stage. The apostles are dressed in bright, patterned Adire fabrics, while those restraining Jesus wear colonial‑era police uniforms, grounding the narrative in a post‑colonial reality. The colour scheme leans heavily on blues and greens, with flashes of yellow and orange, and geometric patterns echo traditional Nigerian textiles and architecture. Each print, including this one where Jesus takes a hard fall, is a meticulous, dramatic moment framed by the recurring crosses that dominate the compositions. Together, they offer a powerful dialogue between faith, culture, and the visual language of Nigeria’s modern art movement.
See it in person
Jesus falls the first time is in the collection of Tate Modern on Bankside, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
