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


The Fruit Seller wood124 x 32 x 33cm (48 13/16 x 12 5/8 x 13in) excluding base.
|ProvenanceA private collection, Nigeria.Whilst Enwonwu was widely celebrated for his work in wood, pieces of this size are relatively uncommon and usually the result of a commission. The most famous piece, The Risen Christ, was carved in 1953 when the University College, Ibadan, employed the artist to execute a sculpture for their new chapel. Carved from a specifically sourced four ton block of mahogany, the work demonstrated Enwonwu's complete mastery of the medium. A contemporary review lauded the artist's skill and precision:"...while sculptors working in clay or other materials can remake as desired, to carve straight from wood is much the greater art for not even a small mistake can be made."If one compares the surface texture of The Risen Christ with this Fruit Seller, one can feel confident that the artist employed a similar method. Both works are characterised by animated chisel marks. Due to the density of the wood, both compositions are more heavily weighted at the base.The great difference between the sculptures is the subject. The significance of the figure of Christ explains the labour and expense that Enwonwu devoted to it. However, this figure is an anonymous fruit seller. At a superficial level, it is curious that the artist would lavish such attention. It is unlikely that the work was a commission, and the artist never revealed what inspired him to create it.What is clear is that the sculpture was of great personal significance. Enwonwu worked on the piece for an extended period in the mid-1970s. On its completion, he transported it to his ancestral home in Eastern Nigeria. Here the piece was admired by the artist's acquaintances, and was ultimately purchased by a private collector.BibliographyS. Ogbechie, Ben Enwonwu: the Making of an African Modernist, (Rochester, 2008), pp.125-127.