Ben Enwonwu’s 1971 painting “Christine” fetches £1.1m after Google search
By Guardian Exclusive
18 October 2019 |
1:11 pm
Painting by Ben Enwonwu, a Nigerian artist named "African Mona Lisa" originally christened as 'Christine' has been sold at auction in London for £1.1m after the family who owned it googled the signature and realised its importance.
In this article
Related
Related
14 Nov 2020
Kenyan artist Joseph Njoroge, also known by his artist name 'Josey Arts,' painted Sunday a portrait of US President-elect Joe Biden after he defeated the incumbent US President Donald trump in the 2020 US presidential election.
10 Jan 2021
John Amanam, a 32-year-old former special effects expert, builds hyper-realistic prosthetics that match Nigerians' skin tones. Most prosthetic body parts available in the country until now have been white, or made from materials such as wood that also look unrealistic.
20 Jan 2021
Italian police have recovered a 500-year-old copy of Leonardo da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi", the world's most expensive painting, after it was stolen from the museum of the Basilica of San Domenico Maggiore in Naples. It was found hidden in a room of a flat in Naples.
4 Feb 2021
Angelina Jolie is selling a prized art piece, the only painting created by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill during World War II.
6 Feb 2021
Nigerian artist Olufela Omomkeko has set up an exhibition in Lagos that he hopes will encourage people to obey safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and the need for lockdowns. His pieces are made from fresh peppers that will wither during the exhibition, which Keko says acts as a reminder of what farmers and traders selling perishable goods went through during lockdowns last year.
19 Feb 2021
A viral challenge, #BelikeNgozi, has popped up across social media platforms, following the appointment of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The challenge started after LifeBank founder Temie Giwa-Tubosun took to Twitter, recreating the signature style of the Nigerian-born economist and policymaker.
30 Jun 2021
Greece has recovered a Picasso painting personally donated by the Spanish master to the Greek people, almost a decade after it was stolen alongside two other artworks in an audacious heist at the National Gallery. "Head of a Woman", gifted by Pablo Picasso to Greece in 1949, was recovered in Keratea, a rural area some 45 kilometres (28 miles) southeast of Athens, officials told a news conference.
18 Sep 2021
Music, spoken word and theatre are among the many artistic mediums that allow people from different backgrounds to connect. But spaces centering on the experiences of under-represented minorities can often be hard to come by, inspiring a variety of artists and activists hoping to change that. Among them is Irish-Nigerian artist Osaro Azams. She's the founder of the Fried Plantains Collective, which celebrates the voices of the LGBT and African communities in Dublin in a "cozy" and fun way. She joined us for Perspective.
7 Nov 2021
The blockade in Gaza makes the living conditions of its 2 million residents a constant struggle, disrupting every aspect of daily life. The periodic outbreaks of war with Israel have only deepened the humanitarian crisis, leaving nearly every civilian in the enclave affected. To confront the trauma, Malak Mattar turned to painting as an outlet. A form of healing and resistance, her brightly coloured works often depict women grappling with the complex reality of life in Gaza. She joined us for Perspective.
18 Jul 2022
Fine Art graduate Chidinma Ikegwuonu says she uses art to drive social change and raise awareness amongst children from disadvantaged communities around issues that affects them.
29 Jul 2022
Hungary blocks finalization of EU sanctions package – DW's Christine Mhundwa reports
17 Sep 2022
Nigeria’s got talent: Her name is Toma Onu, a creative painter who uses her toes to create one-of-a-kind artworks. Toma lives with cerebral palsy, but this has not deterred her from sharing her art with the world.
Latest
27 mins ago
China's cold and flu season is in full swing. Images of full hospital waiting rooms and memories of Beijing's opaque response to investigating the origins of COVID have drawn global attention.
27 mins ago
A small town in northern Germany is the capital of marzipan. In Lübeck, the sweet treat is part of the city's long history. DW looks into this success story and tries to uncover some of its secrets.
29 mins ago
Congo plans to hold elections in December amid debates about the integrity of the country's electoral process and a spiraling conflict in the east of the DRC. How are Western nations reacting?
29 mins ago
Germany said there was a major opportunity to "very quickly" cut down on methane emissions with limited financial means. Meanwhile, Al Gore took aim at COP28 hosts UAE.
29 mins ago
In his meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will welcome a man whose importance as a mouthpiece for the Global South continues to grow.
×

Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox every day of the week. Stay informed with the Guardian’s leading coverage of Nigerian and world news, business, technology and sports.