37 - Attributed to Benedict Enwonwu (1917-1994) | Nigerian

Attributed to Benedict Enwonwu (1917-1994) | Nigerian Africa Dances, 1991 Oil on Canvas Inscription: Signed and dated ‘Ben Enwonwu 1991’ (lower right). Dimensions: Artwork: 80 × 68.5 cm | 31.5 × 27 in Provenance: Private collection, Nigeria. Private collection, Spain (2022). Acquired from the above by the present owner. Condition: Oil on canvas, unlined, on a wooden stretcher with corner keys; a hanging wire is attached to the stretcher. The paint layer is stable overall, with light surface wear and minor rubbing at the edges of the canvas from the stretcher; no losses observed. The reverse of the canvas shows light age staining. Unframed. Please contact us to request a detailed Condition Report. Conditions of Sale: All lots are sold as is, in the condition described. The condition summary is given as a courtesy; a full condition report is available on request before the sale. Attributions are governed by our Terms and Conditions. All enquiries must be made before bidding; no further information can be provided after the sale. By placing a bid you confirm that you have read and accept our Terms and Conditions in full, as set out in the terms of this sale. Shipping: Aurora & Athena coordinates professional, insured shipping for every purchase through vetted logistics partners: packing, transport, insurance and the export paperwork are arranged on the buyer's behalf and charged at the provider's cost. Buyers are equally welcome to collect in Barcelona or to appoint a carrier of their own. Lots are released once the total purchase price has been received. For shipments outside the EU an export licence may be required and Spanish export duties may apply to certain higher-value works; these are the buyer's responsibility. No export tax applies within the EU. Full shipping and export information is available on request. -- A line of women dancers sweeps from right to left across the canvas, arms flung back, bodies leaning into the step, their wrappers of deep blue striped with gold swinging with the movement. The nearest figure, with a gold necklace and a tall coiffure, leads the line; behind her the others repeat the gesture and dissolve into the ultramarine ground, so that the picture reads as one movement seen several times over. The floor is a band of ochre laid on with broad horizontal strokes. The subject and the treatment follow the dance pictures that Ben Enwonwu (1917–1994), the founding figure of Nigerian modernism, painted from the 1950s to the end of his life, among them his best-known series, ‘Africa Dances’. The canvas is signed and dated ‘Ben Enwonwu 1991’ lower right. We catalogue it as attributed to the artist: in our opinion it is probably his work, but there is less certainty than for a work catalogued under his name alone. It is sold with that qualification.