Eight local and international artists receive Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Art Awards
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has honoured eight outstanding local and international artists at the second edition of the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Art Awards held at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi.
The prestigious ceremony celebrated excellence in contemporary and traditional African art while reinforcing efforts to preserve and promote African cultural heritage on the global stage.
The 2026 awards ceremony, organised by the Manhyia Palace Museum in collaboration with UNESCO and Justice and Repairs, took place on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at the Otumfuo Golden Jubilee Hall.
More than 600 participants attended the event, including diplomats, university vice chancellors, artists, curators, and representatives of international cultural agencies.
Among the honoured laureates were renowned Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama, founder of the Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art, Red Clay and Nkrumah Voli-ni in Tamale, installation artist and painter Yaw Owusu, painters Victor Butler and Larry Otoo, as well as portrait artist Afia Prempeh.
The international honourees included Seychelles’ first contemporary artist Leon Raddegonde, African Curator at the British Museum Julie Hudson, and curator Osei Bonsu.
The awardees were recognised for their contributions to African art, heritage preservation and international cultural engagement.
Top dignitaries at the event included Ghana’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, UNESCO Representative in Ghana Edmond Moukala, and Mduduzi Ndzinisa of the Eswatini National Trust Commission.
Also present were European Union Ambassador to Ghana Rune Skinnebach, Hungarian Ambassador to Ghana Tamas Feher, former Ghana Ambassador to France Johanna O. Svanikier, and Justice and Repairs co-founder Yvonne Darkwa-Poku.
In his welcome address, Director of the Manhyia Palace Museum, Ivor Agyeman-Duah, announced a series of international partnerships and heritage initiatives aimed at preserving Asante history and promoting Ghanaian art internationally.
He said the museum continues to strengthen collaborations with museums, cultural agencies and heritage institutions across Africa and Europe.
Mr Agyeman-Duah disclosed that the Asante Kingdom’s restitution campaign had entered a new phase, with ongoing discussions involving institutions such as the The Wallace Collection, the British Museum and the Wellcome Collection over looted Asante artefacts.
According to him, a major exhibition dubbed “Encountering Gold: Asante and the Wallace Collection” will open in London in 2027 and feature gold regalia taken during the Anglo-Asante War of 1874.
“The exhibition will be officially opened by Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and accompanied by an international conference involving more than 200 participants,” Mr Agyeman-Duah stated.
He further revealed plans for the construction of a modern central storage and conservation facility to safeguard returned artefacts and existing collections. The project, he explained, would include conservation laboratories and traditional music preservation spaces with support from Justice and Repair.
The museum director also announced that the museum had acquired more than 100 historical photographs documenting life in Kumasi in the 1950s through support from Agnes Addo-Kufuor, widow of the late Prempeh II.
He praised the continued support of Lady Julia Osei Tutu for Ghanaian artists and acknowledged the contributions of local and international partners sustaining the awards scheme.
The Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Art Awards were launched in May 2025 by the Manhyia Palace Museum to celebrate both traditional and modern visual arts across Africa and beyond.
The inaugural King’s Art Prize honoured ten legendary African artists and was widely hailed as a milestone in Pan-African cultural appreciation, reflecting the Asantehene’s commitment to revitalising African artistic heritage and securing greater global recognition for African creativity.
Source: Ghana/otecfmghana.com/Francis Appiah
