
Benedict Chukwukadibia Enwonwu M.B.E(Nigerian, 1917-1994)Full Body Sketch of Queen Elizabeth II
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Benedict Chukwukadibia Enwonwu M.B.E (Nigerian, 1917-1994)
signed, dated and titled 'FINAL ROUGH DESIGN FOR/ STATUE OF QUEEN E-II/ BEN ENWONWU/ LONDON 1956' (lower right)
watercolour
61 x 42cm (24 x 16 9/16in).
Footnotes
Provenance
Private collection, London.
Literature
S. Ogbechie, Ben Enwonwu: The Making of an African Modernist, (Rochester, 2008), illustrated fig. 4.6, p.135.
In 1956, Enwonwu was commissioned to create a portrait sculpture of Queen Elizabeth II to commemorate her visit to Nigeria in January 1956. The bronze statue was to be installed in the Nigerian House of Representatives as the country prepared itself for independence in 1960. The commission was viewed as an important act of diplomacy; a public declaration of the importance of British governance in shaping Nigeria's identity. Enwonwu was considered to be a living embodiment of the empire's 'benevolent tutelage', having studied at some of London's most prestigious art schools.
Enwonwu was provided with a studio at Buckingham Palace, where he made a number of preliminary sketches in watercolours capturing Her Majesty from the front and in profile. The above lot was executed during this period.
A resin cast of the sculpture was presented at the annual exhibition of the Royal Society of British Artists in London in 1957. The completed bronze was then exhibited at the Tate (now Tate Britain). The sculpture was positively received by the British art establishment. Queen Elizabeth II was so pleased with the portrayal, she commissioned Enwonwu to create a likeness of Prince Charles.
Bibliography
S. Ogbechie, Ben Enwonwu: The Making of an African Modernist, (Rochester, 2008), pp.132-139.