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Ben Enwonwu has lengthy been a family title in Nigeria and in African artwork circles. But it was solely three years in the past that the late pioneer of African artwork—usually referred to as “the daddy of African Modernism” and arguably some of the influential African artists of the 20th century—was rediscovered exterior the continent.
At this 12 months’s digital version of Frieze Masters, the late artist is being proven by the Lagos-based Kó art gallery, which was based this 12 months by Indian-born collector Kavita Chellaram, who additionally based the Lagos-based public sale home Arthouse Modern.
Twelve Enwonwu works, together with oils, works in gouache and on wooden, and bronze sculptures, all executed between 1940 and 1980, are included within the Highlight part of the truthful, which options solo shows by pivotal artists of the 20th century.
“Enwonwu was extensively collected till his dying after which there was a lull till we put him in our first public sale in 2007,” Chellaram instructed Artnet Information.
“Then there was the Bonhams sale in 2013, and ever since his work has gone up in worth on account of excessive demand. By auctions, exhibitions, and personal gross sales, Enwonwu has steadily earned his rightful place in African artwork historical past. Now we want extra analysis, documentation, and illustration of his work at establishments worldwide.”
A Cosmopolitan Background
Born in 1917, Enwonwu believed all through his life {that a} trendy Nigeria wanted to be rooted in its personal heritage and tradition. Rising up in Onitsha, a cosmopolitan market city that was a middle of indigenous Igbo tradition and British colonial rule, he based mostly his artwork on a fancy amalgamation of visible imagery and techniques of illustration, borrowing from native traditions and overseas tradition. By 1950, his artworks had been exhibited in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the US.
“Enwonwu was in all probability the primary African artist to realize worldwide acclaim and actually laid the groundwork for modern African artwork,” mentioned Hannah O’Leary, head of Sotheby’s African artwork division.
“He was discussing and debating what it means to be an ‘African artist,’ and what’s ‘modern African artwork’—discussions that proceed to the current day.”
The Nigerian artist’s present at Frieze Masters marks the third time his works have been introduced internationally since his dying in 1994. (He was additionally the topic of a 2004 exhibition on the Commonwealth Institute in London to mark the 10th anniversary of his dying, in addition to an exhibition at GAFRA Gallery in London in 2015.)
The choice introduced by Kó focuses on a number of recurring themes within the artist’s oeuvre—performances, dances, and masquerades—reflective of the Negritude and Pan-Africanist actions.
Included within the truthful are works from Enwonwu’s “Africa Dances” collection, which he started within the 1940s and which emphasize the primacy of dance and efficiency as central parts of African and African diaspora cultural illustration.
There are additionally works from the artist’s long-time Negritude collection, which mirror the motion (which Enwonwu joined) that was based by Senegalese poet, politician, and cultural theorist Léopold Sédar Senghor.
In Enwonwu’s 1986 work, Black Tradition, he references the ideology of Negritude, suggesting an affinity with the artists of the Harlem Renaissance, which he encountered throughout his exhibition tour within the US in 1950.
Enwonwu was a part of an mental motion that pushed for a unified Nigerian tradition earlier than independence. What many have no idea is that he was additionally a prolific author and artwork critic.
“By 1946, he was exhibiting in a gaggle present in Paris with Picasso, which was fairly superb for an artist who had by no means left Nigeria till two years prior,” Neil Coventry, a consultant for Bonhams Nigeria, instructed Artnet Information.
“In 1956 Enwonwu was commissioned to sculpt Queen Elizabeth, making him the primary African artist requested to take action. He made enormous strides, actually mixing with the artists of the day.”
The Market Grows
The past three years have demonstrated elevated worldwide consideration to Enwonwu’s work, propelled by a current upsurge in curiosity in Fashionable and modern artwork from Africa. In keeping with the Artnet Worth Databae, the worldwide public sale gross sales quantity of Enwonwu’s works rose from simply over $2 million in 2017 to $5 million in 2018, though it dipped barely the following 12 months.
Till 2013, the public sale file for a piece by the artist was £361,250 for a collection of wood sculptures bought by means of the Bonhams Africa Now sale. Then, in February 2018, the artist’s portrait Tutu bought for £1.2 million ($1.7 million) at Bonhams London, setting a brand new public sale file for the artist. The portray, which depicts Nigerian royal princess Adetutu Ademiluyi, had been lacking for 40 years and was present in a London residence.
The market continued to roar in October 2019, when Sotheby’s bought a 1971 portrait by the artist titled Christine for £1.1 million ($1.four million), leaping well beyond its pre-sale high estimate of £150,000 ($192,000).
Nor has the curiosity abated since. On October 9, at a Sotheby’s sale of Fashionable and modern African artwork, Enwonwu’s portrayal of his 19-year outdated niece, Regina, almost quadrupled its pre-sale estimate of £40,000 to £60,000 to a remaining worth to £238,971 ($308,608). In the identical sale, a sculpture from his “Africa Dances” collection achieved 5 instances its estimate of £25,000 to £35,000 to land at £176,084 ($227,395). Eight extra works by the artist additionally bought, with over half promoting above their excessive estimates.
“His most sought-after works have undoubtedly been his portraits, with Christine and Tutu having fetched over £1 million every, and even the small Regina attracting 27 bids to soar from its low estimate,” O’Leary instructed Artnet Information.
Whereas the rise in visibility and worth for the artist’s work ought to hardly be stunning for a pioneering artist, what stays lacking is a large-scale retrospective. However now will be the proper time.
“An exhibition of this nature must occur finally,” Coventry mentioned. “The artist is just too essential for it to not.”
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