Author Archives: bef

CALL FOR ENTRIES: THE LAGOS CREATIVE PROJECT 2020 Initiated by The Ben Enwonwu Foundation in partnership with Alliance Française Lagos/Mike Adenuga Centre, The Lagos Creative Project focuses on experimentation and new possibilities in painting and sculpture, two mediums celebrated African pioneer modernist artist, Ben Enwonwu excelled in. The residency also welcomes work in all areas of the visual arts and is open to artists of African and French descent. It seeks to foster cross-cultural ties and exchange between African countries […]

Interns will have the opportunity to learn about an art foundation by working on projects alongside renowned artists and curators. The BEF accepts applications for internships, from which students in tertiary institutions in Nigeria gain academic credit. Getting involved is an excellent way for students to learn about art, and about the people, organisations and agencies that play a role in shaping the art world. The Foundation works closely with local and international government agencies, non-governmental organisations, and other academic […]

Celebrated Nigerian artist Ben Enwonwu MBE headlines Bonhams February 2018 Africa Now sales, with his oil painting, Tutu, 1974, 97 x 66.5cm, estimated at £200,000 –300,000. This now world-famous portrait of Adetutu Ademiluyi, an Ile-Ife princess and a granddaughter of the Ooni of Ife was first painted in 1973. Other lots in the auction include Yusuf Grillo’s Evangelists: Cymbal, Triangle and Tambourine, 1964, oil on board, 121 x 78cm with presale estimates of £50,000 –70,000; Cheri Samba’s La Democratie?1995, oil on canvas, 83.5 x 103.5cm, estimated at £18,000 […]

To mark the centenary of the birth of Ben Enwonwu MBE, ART X Lagos, courtesy of the Access Bank Collection, presents to the general public for the first time ever in Nigeria, seven wooden sculptures commissioned by the Daily Mirror in 1961 for their headquarters in London.

Explore new positions on West-African modernism, before and after independence Taking place during the centenary of pioneering Nigerian artist Ben Enwonwu, this major international conference explores new positions on West-African Modernism before and after Independence. Jointly hosted by Bea Gassman de Souza, independent curator and Kerryn Greenberg, curator, International Art, Tate Modern, this one and a half-day conference is a unique opportunity to examine strategies of cultural independence and to reflect upon the impact of transnationalism and de-colonisation in art […]

A rare and historically significant composition by Nigerian Modernist, Ben Enwonwu, features as the top lot at Bonhams Africa Now – Modern & Contemporary African Art Sale slated for October 5, 2017. The painting, Nigerian Symphony, 1963-34, 48 x 178cm is estimated at £100,000-150,000 and depicts a busy street scene, swarming with Nigerians cutting across all social strata. Hovering above these men and women sporting traditional attires and business suits are dark, sullen rain clouds. Yet, in the midst of this gloominess, a viewer […]