Lot 2 – Ben Enwonwu Mbe, Untitled

LOT 2
BEN ENWONWU MBE (NIGERIAN 1917-1994)
UNTITLED

initialed and dated BE 1952 lower left
pen on paper
23 x 9.3cm; 9 x 3 5/8in
57.5 x 43.9cm; 22 5/8 x 17 1/4in (framed)

Certificate of Authenticity available upon request
Property of a Private Collector, Lagos

Provenance
Treasure House Gallery, Lagos
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Estimate
£2,000 – £3,000
Buyer’s premium: 25.00% + VAT

Ben Enwonwu was born in Onitsha, Nigeria. Formally trained at Goldsmith’s College of Art and later the Slade School of Art in London, Enwonwu was among the first cohort of postcolonial African artists to advocate an art form which embraced the technical stylistic developments of the European painterly and sculptural traditions. Importantly, Enwonwu combined this inter and postwar style with a focus on African subject matter to articulate a postcolonial artistic tradition for Nigeria. Often depicting scenes of precolonial cultural traditions, rural life or mythical folklore, Enwonwu’s singular technique and compelling artistic vision quickly distinguished the artist as among the most influential artists of the 20th century. Maintaining a studio in Onitsha and London, Enwonwu participated in various international exhibitions and commissions, most notably a bronze portrait of Queen Elizabeth II to mark the occasion of Nigeria’s independence.

This pen drawing, initialled and dated 1952, offers an intimate glimpse into Enwonwu’s draughtsmanship at its most concentrated: a few precisely placed lines, charged with the spontaneous formal intelligence that defines his best work on paper. By 1952 Enwonwu was already exhibiting in London and lecturing in the United States. Here Enwonwu begins a period of intense creative development leading to the vocabulary he would bring to its fullest expression in the celebrated Tutu series of 1973. Works on paper from this early period are rare, and offer a unique demonstration of the artist’s distinct style.