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Benedict Chukwukadibia Enwonwu MBE, Nigerian/British 1917-1994- Portrait of a young girl, head and shoulders, 1950; red chalk on coloured paper, signed and dated '1950' lower right corner, 46 x 28.5cm, (ARR) Provenance: Private collection, London Note: This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from the artist's foundation. Ben Enwonwu is considered to be one of the most influential and pioneering African artists of the 20th Century. Born in Nigeria in 1917, Enwonwu studied fine art under Kenneth C. Murray at Government College, Nigeria, from 1934 before being awarded a scholarship in 1944 to study in the UK at the Slade School of Fine Arts. It is likely that lot 65 and 66 were completed during his time at the Slade where he received academic and classical training in art education. Exposed to the British modernist artists of the period and encouraged by the Slade to experiment with alternative modes of representation, Enwonwu’s style continued to evolve through these multiple external influences. Enwonwu signed and dated the majority of his works, including sketches, which in turn documented his new ideas and displayed his response to changing stylistic fashions in art. Often he would title his paintings, write out the themes explored and added working notes to the reverse of his preparatory sketches for later paintings; this can be seen on both lot 65 and 66. During his studies within the UK, the British colonial government employed Enwonwu to create posters for their propaganda campaigns directed towards skilled, colonised Nigerians assisting in the post-war reconstruction efforts within the UK. In many aspects he was presented as a result of the British colonial governments efforts of tutelage in their colonies, however he was also adopted by African activists who considered him a part of Nigeria’s quest for political independence. His unusual position within Western society and back home in Nigeria meant his talent was exploited for multiple parties; evidently he actively contributed to both sides, and his artwork of this period document his interaction with both contexts. As a result his work is considered to be pioneering and consequently a unique form of African Modernist art. Please refer to department for condition report