Late Nigerian Artist and Sculptor, Ben Enwonwu, continues to live in the heart of many with his numerous paintings telling great stories to the new generation.
Enwonwu’s popular 1971 painting, “Christine”, was recently purchased for £1.1m ($1.4m) at an auction in the British capital, London.
The painting, simply titled “Christine”, is of Christine Davis, an American hairstylist who moved to Lagos with her British husband and struck up a friendship with the painter.
The piece was completed in 1971.
Another popular work by Enwonwu is that of an Ife princess, Tutu, affectionately dubbed “Africa’s Mona Lisa”. It was sold in 2018 for £1.2m.
Africa’s Mona Lisa is considered a national masterpiece.
Celebrated Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie told the BBC in 2013: “This particular painting “Tutu,” the print, hung on every wall, of every middle-class family in eastern Nigeria when I was growing up.”
By: Kehinde Oderinde