Beschreibung:

Ben EnwonwuNigerian1917-1994Negritudesigned and dated 1977 (lower right)gouache on card70 by 55cm., 27½ by 21⅝in.framed: 87 by 68.5cm., 34¼ by 27in.Condition reportColour:Please note colours in the online catalogue illustration may vary depending on screen settings.
The work is in good condition. The sheet of paper exhibits some discolouration consistent with age. There is some light water staining running along the length of the lower edge, this is more noticeable from the reverse. Very light wear and wrinkling to the edges and corners in places and some very small examples of stable surface loss scattered along the lower left edge. Scattered very faint scratches in places, only noticeable on close inspection. Small light minor abrasion to the center of the black figure with further possible incredibly faint examples on other parts of the body. The work is taped to the white mount with brown packing tape on the reverse, running the length of each edge. Inspection under UV light reveals no clear signs of restoration or repair.
Please note that Condition 12 of the Conditions of Business for Buyers (Online Only) is not applicable to this lot.
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colors and shades which are different to the lot's actual color and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation. The condition report is a statement of opinion only. For that reason, the condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS ONLINE CONDITION REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE/BUSINESS APPLICABLE TO THE RESPECTIVE SALE.ProvenancePrivate Collection, FranceCatalogue note“Negritude meant everything. It meant the revitalization of African force, both in art and in all forms of creativity.”
As a proponent of the Négritude movement, Enwonwu argued that independent Africans should root their identity in the rich history and symbolism of the continent. His interpretation of Igbo feminine power draws from the Black Mother symbolism found in Léopold Sédar Senghor’s philosophy, in which he immersed himself in 1940s London and Paris.
1930s Paris, with its diverse and tolerant art scene, became the centre of the international Négritude movement, a term coined by the Martinican poet Aimé Césaire, French Guianese poet Léon Damas, and poet and future Senegalese President Léopold Sédar Senghor. In the face of growing fascism, black students, scholars and artists from French colonies in Africa and the Caribbean got together with the aim of promoting an appreciation of the history and culture of black people. They also wanted to draw attention to the experience of those who had lived under colonial rule, including slavery.
At the outbreak of the Second World War its leaders left Paris for the Caribbean and Africa and new forms of Négritude arose in these locations, including creolisation in the Caribbean and the Natural Synthesis movement in Nigeria. After the war Paris again became the centre for Négritude activities. Many artists from Africa and the Caribbean came to Europe to study and gravitated to Paris, meeting at the Clamart tea-shop, the Négritude base on the Left Bank. Among these were London students Frank Bowling Aubrey Williams Donald Locke Ben Enwonwu and Uzo Egonu