Benedict Chukwukadibia Enwonwu M.B.E (Nigerian, 1917-1994)


Standing woman bronze69 x 17.5 x 12cm (27 3/16 x 6 7/8 x 4 3/4in) excluding base.
|ProvenanceAcquired from the artist by Brother Leo V. Ryan, 1966.Acquired by a private collector, 2017.ExhibitedIbadan, 1966.Brother Leo V. Ryan was appointed to be director of the Peace Corps in Nigeria between 1966 and 1968. It was during this period that he was introduced to Enwonwu and acquired this bronze woman.It has been posited that the sculpture is a portrait of the wife of the Oba of Benin. Historically, the Oba of Benin was the Head of State of the Benin Empire until the British annexed the area in 1897. Although the Oba's throne was never restored, his descendants have preserved their title and status as tradition rulers in modern day Nigeria.Enwonwu was one of the most eminent and respected artists in Nigeria in the mid-1960s. He was made a fellow of Lagos University between 1966-1968, and was appointed cultural advisor to the Nigerian government in 1968. It is therefore not surprising that he would have attracted the attention of the director of the Peace Corps, as they would have been moving in the same social circles.We are grateful to Professor Sylvester Ogbechie for his assistance with cataloguing this lot.