Ben Enwonwu

Ben Enwonwu occupies a central place in the development of Nigerian modernism. A painter and sculptor from Onitsha, he trained in Nigeria before continuing his studies in Britain, including at the Slade School of Fine Art. His work brought Igbo visual traditions and African sculpture into contact with techniques of European painting. Portraits, dancing figures and public monuments formed part of his search for a modern language grounded in Nigerian culture.

In Anyanwu, a female bronze figure reaches towards the sky. Her elongated body and upward movement give visible form to the idea of an African cultural awakening. This concern with identity connects with the aims of Negritude. Enwonwu linked visual invention to the aspirations of a society experiencing the end of colonial rule and the beginnings of independence.