Celebrating Prof. Ben Enwonwu at this Year's Artmiabo International Art Festival AMIAF, 2024
Courtesy of The Ben Enwonwu Foundation
Artmiabo International Art Festival 2024, in Lagos, themed "The Sculptor's Odyssey," pays homage to a visionary artist whose work has left an indelible mark on the world of sculpture and beyond.
The Late Professor Ben Enwonwu stands as a towering figure in the realm of African art, renowned for his unparalleled mastery of form, expression, and cultural resonance. Through his sculptural endeavors, he has not only captured the essence of human experience but has also forged connections across borders, transcending barriers of language, geography, and time.
His art spoke and still speaks volumes, telling stories of resilience, identity, and the rich tapestry of African heritage. From the iconic sculptures that grace public spaces to the intimate pieces that invite introspection, Professor Enwonwu's creations serve as windows into the soul of humanity, inviting us to ponder our shared humanity and collective aspirations.
Courtesy of The Ben Enwonwu Foundation
We honor Professor Ben Enwonwu at the Artmiabo International Art Festival, we celebrate not only the man but also the enduring legacy he has bestowed upon us. May his vision continue to inspire generations to come, igniting a passion for art and a deeper appreciation for the boundless possibilities of creative expression.
BIOGRAPHY: BEN ENWONWU (1917-1994)
Benedict Chukwukadibia Enwonwu was born a twin on July 14, 1917 in Onitsha, Anambra
State, Nigeria. His father, Odigwe Emeka Enwonwu was a reputable traditional sculptor and
his mother, Iyom, a successful cloth merchant.
After his early education at Saint Mary's School, Onitsha, Enwonwu enrolled at
Government College, Ibadan in 1934, where his genius as an artist was greatly encouraged
by Kenneth C. Murray, an Englishman, who was education officer in charge of art
education in the colonial civil service and later director of antiquities.
He completed his
secondary education at Government College, Umuahia in 1939.
In July 1937, Murray exhibited the works of his students including Enwonwu at the
Zwemmer Gallery in London. Enwonwu's work was also shown at the Glasgow Empire
Exhibition in 1938, and the following year, he was awarded prize money and a bronze
medal for his work now in the art collection of the International Business Machine
Corporation in San Francisco.
In 1944, he was awarded a Shell Petroleum scholarship to study in the United Kingdom. In
England, he enrolled at the Goldsmith College of Art, Lewisham, London and later the
Ruskin and Slade Ashmolean, Oxford, where he studied fine art, aesthetics, history of
(Western) art and anthropology, graduating with first class honours in sculpture. He
continued his studies in London at the University College and the London School of
Economics where he completed postgraduate work in social anthropology.
Courtesy of The Ben Enwonwu Foundation
In 1946, on the invitation of Sir Julian Huxley, then director of UNESCO, Enwonwu
represented Africa at the International Exhibition of Modern Art held at the Musee D'Art
Moderne in Paris.
In 1947, he was elected Fellow of the Royal Anthropology Institute of Great Britain and
Ireland (FRAI). He was also made a member of Hampstead Arts and Artists International.
Enwonwu lectured widely in the United States including Harvard University and New York
University.
He also lectured at the University of Ghana, Legon and attended many
international seminars across the world delivering many papers on African art, culture and
aesthetics. In recognition of his contributions to the advancement of art in Africa and the
world, Ben Enwonwu was made a Member of the British Empire (MBE) in 1954.
At the height of his fame in 1956, he was commissioned to sculpt a bronze portrait of Her
Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, making him the first African to be so honoured.
.jpg "Courtesy of The Ben Enwonwu Foundation")
The sittings
began at the Buckingham Palace and the resulting full-length bronze statue was shown at
the Tate Gallery. Enwonwu was also a member of the Royal Society of British Artists
(RBA).
His other major works include Anyanwu at the headquarters of the United Nations (UN) in
New York, (Nigeria’s gift to the UN in promotion of world peace), Sango at the Power
Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) headquarters in Lagos and The Drummer at the
Nigerian Telecommunications headquarters (NITEL) in Lagos.
In 1966, he led the Nigerian contingent to the First World Festival of Negro Arts in Dakar,
Senegal. In 1968, Enwonwu retired from the Nigerian civil service as art advisor to the
Federal Government and was reappointed on contract that same year as cultural advisor.
In appreciation of the artist's excellent status in matters of art and culture, the University
of Lagos elected him, her first University Fellow in African Studies. In 1969, Ahmadu Bello
University awarded him an honorary Doctorate degree for his writings on art. In 1971, he
was appointed a visiting artist to the Institute of African Studies at Howard University,
Washington D.C. That same year, the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University)
appointed him her professor of fine art, indeed Nigeria’s first art professor, a post he held
until 1975.
In 1980, Enwonwu was honoured with the Nigeria National Merit Award by the
Nigerian Federal Government, for academic and intellectual attainment.
Throughout his career, Enwonwu held several exhibitions in Nigeria and abroad and in
1991, a retrospective show spanning 50 years of creativity was held in his honour at the
National Museum in Lagos.
He died on February 5, 1994 at the age of 77.
Prof. Ben Enwonwu
Courtesy of The Ben Enwonwu Foundation
Courtesy of The Ben Enwonwu Foundation
Exhibitions By Enwonwu
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
• Exhibition Center, Marina, Lagos, Nigeria, 1942.
• Berkeley Galleries, London, 1947, 1948, 1950, 1952, 1955.
• Howard University Art Gallery, Washington, DC, 1950.
• Galerie Apollinaire, Milan, 1950.
• An Aspect of Ben Enwonwu’s Art on Exhibition, USIS, Lagos, Nigeria, 1973.
• Goethe Institute, Lagos, Nigeria, 1976.
• Ben Enwonwu’s Enwonwus: Sculptures and Paintings, Royal Society of British Artists, The Mall
Galleries, London, 1985.
• Celebration of Excellence, Royal Commonwealth Society, London, 2005.
• The Iya Oge of Lagos, Quintessence Gallery, 2003.
• Ben Enwonwu MBE: Seven Decades of Artistic Production, Gallery of African Art (GAFRA),
London, 2015.
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
• Zwemmer Gallery, London, July 6-August 7, 1937.
• Empire Exhibition, Glasgow, Scotland, 1938.
• International Exhibition of Modern Art, Musee d’Art Moderne, Paris, France, 1946.
• Independence Exhibition, Lagos, 1960.
• Kunst aus Zentralafrika, Berlin, Bremen, Dortmund and Darmstadt, Germany, 1960.
• Art from African of our Time, Phelps-Stokes Fund, New York, 1961.
• Exhibition Centre, Marina, Lagos, Nigeria, 1964.
• International Art Exhibition, Lusaka, Zambia, 1964.
• Treasures from the Commonwealth, Royal Academy of Art, London, 1965.
• Contemporary African Art, Camden Arts Center, 1969.
• Tenth Anniversary Exhibition of Contemporary African Art, Africa Centre, London, 1973.
• Nigerian Art in the 70s, University of Ife, Nigeria, 1976.
• National Art Exhibition, National Theatre, Lagos, Nigeria, 1976.
• FESTAC ’77, Lagos, Nigeria, 1977.
• Moderne Kunst in Afrika, Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1980.
• Exhibition of Nigerian Contemporary Art, Dakar, Senegal, 1980.
• Exhibition of Nigerian Contemporary Art, Islamabad, Pakistan, 1983.
• Man in Focus, National Theatre, Lagos, 1985.
• A Tale of Two Continents, Quintessence, Lagos, Nigeria, 1990.
• Take your road and travel along, Michael Stevenson Gallery, Cape Town, 2008.
• Seven Stories about Modern Art in Africa, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, 1995.
• The Short Century: Independence and Liberation Movements in Africa, 1945-1994, Museum of
Contemporary Art Chicago - MCA Chicago, Chicago, IL, 2001.
• The Short Century: Independence and Liberation Movements in Africa, 1945-1994, Museum Villa
Stuck, Munich, 2001.
• The Short Century: Independence and Liberation Movements in Africa, 1945-1994, P.S.1
Contemporary Art Center, Long Island, New York NY, 2002.
Prof. Ben Enwonwu
Courtesy of The Ben Enwonwu Foundation
Courtesy of The Ben Enwonwu Foundation
Congratulations
AMIAF 2024.
