Skip to main content
Lot 31

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

17 March 2021, 17:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street

Sold for £19,000 inc. premium

Own a similar item?

Submit your item online for a free auction estimate.

How to sell

Looking for a similar item?

Our African Modern & Contemporary Art specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.

Find your local specialist

Ask about this lot

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

Benin Drummer
signed and dated 'Ben Enwonwu/ Benin 1951' (lower left)
watercolour
52.5 x 34cm (20 11/16 x 13 3/8in).

Footnotes

"The arts of drama, art and music enter into almost every aspect of African life. They are the mean by which to express sorrow, joy and happiness." Ben Enwonwu 1950

This painting is an early example of Enwonwu's iconic drummer theme, to which the artist returns throughout his career.

One of Enwonwu's most recognisable and well-know works is The Drummer (1978), commissioned for the facade of the Nigerian Telecommunication building, on the Marina, Lagos.

Additional information

Bid now on these items

David Goldblatt(South African, 1930-2018)"Abraham Thipe with one of his arrangements and his deckchair, Newtown, 14 August 1990"

Sophie Mowat(British, born 1988)The Other Bounty

Glory Samjolly(British, born 1997)Dear Archives

Alison Turner(British, born 1976)At The Hands Of The Enslaved, Our Society Was Built

Neequaye Dreph Dsane(British, born 1973)Dress Code

Kione Grandison(British, born 1996)Let Us Not Forget

Alvin Kofi(British, born 1961)The Longitude Of Culture

Kazvare Knox(Zimbabwean, born 1986)Someone's Been Stealing Our Things

Emmanuel Unaji(British, born 1994)Parallel Empires, Ancestral Kingdoms