Chris Ofili’s earliest paintings and prints were some of his most radical, breaking boundaries and setting the tone for a lifetime of work that unapologetically explores Black identity, racism, religion and pop culture.
The Manchester-born artist made a big splash in the art world in the early 1990s, after he visited Zimbabwe at the age of 23. Deeply moved by the region’s Stone Age cave paintings, which incorporated endless (presumably) finger-painted dots, Ofili returned to his studio and infused his paintings with the exuberance of his travels — and with some of the little balls of elephant dung he saw on his trip, which he also found intriguing and brought back to England.
Ofili was a member of the Young British Artists — a collective of London-based artists that included Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and others that never shied from using non-traditional materials or tackling controversial subject matter. He found the spotlight in the late 1990s when then-New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani publicly criticized the artist’s monumental depiction of an eroticized black Madonna that featured elephant dung and images of female genitalia.
So it was that Ofili became, for a time, best known for his elephant dung paintings. Then, in 1998, at the age of 30, Ofili won the coveted Turner Prize — he was the first Black artist to do so — and soon afterward, in 2003, he was selected to exhibit at the 50th Venice Biennale.
Over the years, Ofili has incorporated other surprising elements into his work, including resin, glitter, beads, oil paint, and pornographic cut-outs — a rich amalgamation of textures and colors, iconography and symbols. He has also found himself surrounded by controversy, as in 1996, when he painted a Black Madonna with elephant dung on her breast, set against a background of genitalia cut out of pornographic magazines. In 2017, Ofili was awarded a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in honor of his unusual and thought-provoking contributions to art.
Ofili’s work is held in the collections of some of the world’s most prominent public institutions, including the British Museum in London and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Ofili enjoys ongoing exhibitions at prestigious museums like the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Tate in London, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Today, Ofili lives and works in Trinidad.
Find authentic Chris Ofili paintings, prints and other art on 1stDibs.
Use Your Heart
By Chris Ofili
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Chris Ofili (b. 1968) is renowned for his vibrant, multi-layered works that celebrate Afrocentrism through both figurative and abstract approaches. He came to prominence in the 1990'...
Screen
Crowning of a Satyr
By Chris Ofili
Located in London, GB
Edition of 125 40 colour screenprint with hand applied 24-carat gold leaf on Somerset Tub Sized Satin White 410gsm. 76 x 60 cm (29.9 x 23.6 in) Signed and dated by the artist Chris...
Gold Leaf
Chris Ofili, Poolside: Etching on wove paper, Contemporary Art, Signed Print
By Chris Ofili
Located in Hamburg, DE
Chris Ofili (born 1968 in Manchester) Poolside, 2013 Medium: Etching on wove paper Dimensions: 45.1 x 35.6 cm (17.75 x 14 in) Edition of 55: Hand-signed and numbered Condition: Mint ...
Etching
$3,000
Chris Ofili, The Caged Bird’s Song (Voyeur) 2024. Limited, Signed Print & NGBook
By Chris Ofili
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Art Edition (No. 1–100), with the numbered and signed print The Caged Bird’s Song (Voyeur), 2024, by Chris Ofili. Art print, Giclée on 340gsm Hahnemühle Rag Metallic paper with deckl...
Fabric, Rag Paper, Giclée
Study for Ovid-Windfall
By Chris Ofili
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Chris Ofili (b. 1968), a member of the Young British Artists, is renowned for his vibrant, multi-layered works that celebrate Afrocentrism through both figurative and abstract approa...
Paper, Giclée
$6,537
Chris Ofili, Untitled - 2000, Signed Aquatint and Drypoint Etching, British Art
By Chris Ofili
Located in Hamburg, DE
Chris Ofili (British, b. 1968) Untitled, 2000 Medium: Etching, aquatint and drypoint, on Hahnemühle wove paper Dimensions: 25.7 × 20.8 cm (10 1/10 × 8 1/5 in) Edition of 100: Hand-si...
Drypoint, Etching, Aquatint
Chris Ofili, R.I.P. Stephen Lawrence 1974-1993: Contemporary Art
By Chris Ofili
Located in Hamburg, DE
Chris Ofili (born 1968 in Manchester) R.I.P. Stephen Lawrence 1974 – 1993, 2013 Medium: Lithograph and photoluminescent silkscreen on paper Print dimensions: 45 x 35.6 cm (17.7 x 14 ...
Lithograph
$3,500
Chris Ofili - print R.I.P. Stephen Lawrence UK racial violence victim Signed COA
By Chris Ofili
Located in New York, NY
Chris Ofili R.I.P. Stephen Lawrence 1974 - 1993, 2013 Lithographic print in 4 colours with silkscreened glow-in-the-dark text 17 7/10 × 14 inches Edition of 100 Accompanied by a numb...
Lithograph, Screen
$2,673Sale Price|20% Off
Chris Ofili - Mali Memory (Tea Dance)
By Chris Ofili
Located in London, GB
Chris Ofili Mali Memory (Tea Dance), 2014 Archival pigment print on Arches Aquarelle cotton rag paper wit deckled edges hand-signed and dated 25.4 x 20.3 cm - sheet 41 x 33 cm - fram...
Archival Pigment
$484
H 19.69 in W 27.56 in D 0.04 in
The Shower - Original Screen Print by Nicola Simbari - 1976
By Nicola Simbari
Located in Roma, IT
Hand Signed. Edition of 90 pieces. Very good conditions.
Screen
Patience and A Quiet Read diptych
By Gordon Hunt
Located in Deddington, GB
A Quiet Read [2014] limited_edition oil Edition number 120 Image size: H:20 cm x W:20 cm Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:30 cm x W:30 cm x D:.1cm Sold Unframed Please note that in...
Paper, Giclée
Tea for two – Tod
By Harry Bunce
Located in Deddington, GB
Tea for two – Tod by Harry Bunce [2017] limited_edition Screen Print Edition number 146 Image size: H:25 cm x W:31 cm Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:41 cm x W:49 cm x D:0.3cm Sol...
Paper, Screen
$2,300
H 26.8 in W 33.3 in
Conceptual art photo engraving and screenprint 2005 27x33in hrs min kcal fat
Located in Miami, FL
Raul Cordero (Cuba, 1971) '32 hrs 53 min kcal: 783 fat: 35%', 2005 photo engraving and screenprint on paper Guarro Biblos 250g. 26.8 x 33.3 in. (68 x 84.5...
Screen, Engraving, Aquatint
$8,500
H 55 in W 55 in
Orit Fuchs: Vivid 60 - Giclee print on canvas female figure painting. 55/55"
By Orit Fuchs
Located in Tel Aviv, IL
Orit Fuchs lives and works in Tel Aviv, a storyteller with a deep, pure, and unquenchable appetite for artistic self-expression. Her medium spans the gamut - sculptures, pa...
Giclée
$1,000
H 38 in W 29 in
Richard Yarde "Savoy: Air Steps" limited edition giclée print on fine art paper
By Richard Yarde
Located in Boca Raton, FL
"Savoy: Air Steps" Limited edition giclée on fine art paper of a pair of dancers by African American artist Richard Yarde. Part of Yarde's "Savoy Ballroom" series. Hand-dated 10/300,...
Archival Paper, Giclée
$2,800
H 39 in W 29.25 in
Josephine limited edition giclée on fine art paper by artist Richard Yarde
By Richard Yarde
Located in Boca Raton, FL
Limited edition giclée print on fine art paper of a watercolor portrait of Josephine Baker by African-American artist Richard Yarde. Hand-numbered 5/300,...
Paper, Giclée
Silver Flowers, March 3, 2011
By Donald Sultan
Located in New York, NY
Silver Flowers, March 3, 2011 Silkscreen with hand applied black Silica on Sauders Waterford paper, 410gm hot press 38 x 38 inches edition of 75 Print also available in Gold...
Screen
$2,800
H 60 in W 70 in D 0.3 in
"I Love You" Limited Edition towel/wall hanging (LARGE: 60 inches x 70 inches)
By Tracey Emin
Located in New York, NY
Tracey Emin I Love You/I Love Your Soul/I Love Your Smile, ca. 2010 100% Cotton Beach Towel 60 × 70 inches (folded it's 25 x 30 inches) Signed in plate, authorized printed...
Cotton, Screen, Mixed Media, Laid Paper
Escultor y escultura
By Pablo Picasso
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) - Escultor y escultura Etching from 1965. Edition of 255. Dimensions of work: 48 x 38 cm. Imprimée à Mougins. Référence : Bloch 1187; Baer 1156. The w...
Etching
Limited Edition Photographic Art Print "Preparing"
Located in Cape Town, ZA
A limited edition (out of 25) black and white photographic print. Framed with a black or white box frame and floated to the backboard. The dimensions of 33.5 x 45 cm is that of the p...
Archival Paper, Giclée
Becquet
By James Abbott McNeill Whistler
Located in Plano, TX
J. Becquet, Sculptor (The Fiddler). 1859. Drypoint. Kennedy 52 state iv; Glasgow 62. state i. 10 1/8 x 7 1/2 (sheet 15 5/16 x 9 3/4). Series: "Sixteen Etchings or Scenes on the Thame...
Drypoint, Etching
Afro Lunar Lovers II
By Chris Ofili
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Chris Ofili (b. 1968), a member of the Young British Artists, is renowned for his vibrant, multi-layered works that celebrate Afrocentrism through both figurative and abstract approa...
Gold Leaf
Yellow Day Dreamer
By Chris Ofili
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Chris Ofili (b. 1968), a member of the Young British Artists, is renowned for his vibrant, multi-layered works that celebrate Afrocentrism through both figurative and abstract approa...
Aquatint
Green Riann
By Chris Ofili
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Chris Ofili (b. 1968), a member of the Young British Artists, is renowned for his vibrant, multi-layered works that celebrate Afrocentrism through both figurative and abstract approa...
Aquatint
Turquoise Duo
By Chris Ofili
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Chris Ofili (b. 1968), a member of the Young British Artists, is renowned for his vibrant, multi-layered works that celebrate Afrocentrism through both figurative and abstract approa...
Aquatint
Blue Friends
By Chris Ofili
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Chris Ofili (b. 1968), a member of the Young British Artists, is renowned for his vibrant, multi-layered works that celebrate Afrocentrism through both figurative and abstract approa...
Aquatint
Rincon Falls
By Chris Ofili
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Chris Ofili (b. 1968), a member of the Young British Artists, is renowned for his vibrant, multi-layered works that celebrate Afrocentrism through both figurative and abstract approa...
Drypoint, Aquatint
Sold
H 25 in W 18 in
Afro Lunar Lovers II, 21st century gold leave and embossed screenprint
By Chris Ofili
Located in Beachwood, OH
Chris Ofili (British, b. 1968) Afro Lunar Lovers II, 2005 Giclée print in colours with screenprint, embossing and gold leaf, on wove paper Signed and dated lower right, titled lower center, numbered 181/250 lower left 18.75 x 12.25 inches 25 x 18 inches, framed Christopher Ofili, (born 10 October 1968) is a British painter who is best known for his paintings incorporating elephant dung. He was Turner Prize-winner and one of the Young British Artists. Since 2005, Ofili has been living and working in Trinidad and Tobago...
Gold Leaf
Afternoon with la Soufrière (Prelude 4)
By Chris Ofili
Located in London, GB
Digital Pigment Print on 330 gsm Somerset Velvet Enhanced with Gold Leaf. Hand-signed and numbered by the artist. Paper size: 26.1 x 38.6 cm Edition of 100 + 20 APs
Digital Pigment
Sold
H 19.3 in W 14.97 in D 0.99 in
Damascus Nude, Linocut in Artist Frame, Contemporary Art, Young British Artist
By Chris Ofili
Located in Hamburg, DE
Chris Ofili (British, b. 1968) Damascus Nude, 2006 Medium: Linocut on wove copperplate paper, in artist's frame (covered in goat skin) Sheet dimensions: 30.2 × 20.1 cm (12 × 8 in) Fr...
Linocut
Sold
H 15.95 in W 11.46 in
Regal, Contemporary Art, Young British Artist, YBA, 21st Century
By Chris Ofili
Located in Hamburg, DE
Chris Ofili (Manchester 1968 – lives in London) Regal, 2000 Medium: Lithographic print in 4 colours on a silkscreened glow-in-the-dark background, on Colorplan 270 gsm paper Dimensio...
Lithograph, Screen
Afro Lunar Lovers
By Chris Ofili
Located in Hamburg, DE
Chris Ofili (Manchester 1968 – lives in London) 'Afro Lunar Lovers' Giclee, embossed on paper, gold leaf hand applied by the artist Edition of 350 Signed, dated, titled and numbered in gold ink on recto Published by Afroco and Victoria Miro...
Giclée
Untitled, Red Dots, 1997
By Chris Ofili
Located in London, GB
Watercolour and pencil on paper 24.1 x 15.9 cm (9 7/6 x 6/14 inches) Signed ‘CHRIS OFILI’ twice and dated ’98 on the reverse. Provenance Crane Kalman Gallery Victoria Miro...
Paper, Watercolor, Pencil