Jesus is taken from the cross
- Artist: Bruce Onobrakpeya
- Date: 1969
- Medium: Linocut on paper
- Dimensions: image: 239 x 560 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
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About this artwork
This is "Jesus is taken from the cross" by Nigerian artist Bruce Onobrakpeya. Created in 1969 as a linocut on paper, it is the final image in his fourteen‑print series that reimagines the Stations of the Cross within an African setting. Each print is elongated and laid out like a landscape, and this one shows the moment Jesus is carried away from the crucifixion site. Onobrakpeya places the scene in Yoruba surroundings: the apostles wear vibrant Adire‑printed robes, and those restraining Jesus appear in colonial‑era police uniforms. The colour palette is dominated by blues and greens, with subtle touches of yellow and orange highlights. Geometric shapes echo traditional Nigerian textile patterns and even extend onto the crosses themselves. The series was produced a decade after Nigeria’s independence and during the Biafran War, reflecting the artist’s experience of colonial history and his effort to merge Christian narrative with local visual language. Together, the fourteen prints form a powerful, culturally resonant meditation on faith and identity.
See it in person
Jesus is taken from the cross 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.
