Benedict Chukwukadibia Enwonwu M.B.E (Nigerian, 1917-1994) 'Water Sprite' signed and dated 'BEN ENWONWU/ 1959' (lower right) oil on board 61.5 x 45cm (24 3/16 x 17 11/16in). Footnotes: Provenance Purchased directly from the artist in Ibadan, Nigeria 1959 by Professor Constance Geary of University College Ibadan; A gift to the current owner, 1960; Private collection, UK. Ben Enwonwu executed this work at a time when he had reached new heights of international fame. Having been awarded the MBE in 1956 by HM Queen Elizabeth II he was then commissioned to produce a bronze sculpture of the Queen, which he completed in 1957 and which was unveiled at the House of Representatives in Lagos in 1959, the same year in which Water Sprite was painted. During this period, Enwonwu held a series of commercially successful and critically acclaimed exhibitions in London, Paris and The United States. In 1950, 1952, 1956 and 1957, Enwonwu held exhibitions in Washington DC, New York, Boston and Nashville under the auspices of the Harmon Foundation. In Water Sprite, Enwonwu combines the themes of Negritude and Africa Dances, both themes having strong links with the Harlem Renaissance. Bibliography Sylvester Ogbechie, Ben Enwonwu: The Making of an African Modernist, (University of Rochester Press 2008) For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com