
Susanne Wenger(Austrian, 1915-2009)Spirit dance
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Susanne Wenger (Austrian, 1915-2009)
signed 'Susanne Wenger' (lower right)
oil on board
60 x 58cm (23 5/8 x 22 13/16in).
Footnotes
Provenance
Gifted to the present owner by the artist, Nigeria, circa 1965.
The Austrian-born artist, Susanne Wenger, moved to Nigeria in 1949 when her husband Ulli Beier was offered a position as a phonetician in Ibadan. The couple soon tired of the 'artificiality' of the university compound, and relocated to the nearby town of Ede where they immersed themselves in the local culture. Wenger was introduced to one of few surviving priests of the Olorisha religion. She embraced the rituals and traditions, and determined to protect the religion from the encroachment of western culture. Wenger remained in Osogbo for the rest of her life, filling her house and garden with artworks and sculptures made by local craftsmen.