Unseen Art Scene (mirror)

This is an old article but gives a good background to Nigeria's greatest artist: UCSB Art Historian Publishes Monograph on African Artist Ben Enwonwu By Andrea Estrada Wednesday, February 18, 2009 - 16:00 Santa Barbara, CA Sylvester Ogbechie Photo Credit:  Rod Rolle Photo of Sylvester Ogbechie by Rod Rolle Sylvester Ogbechie Photo Credit:  Rod Rolle Sylvester Ogbechie Photo Credit:  Rod Rolle During the period from 1950 to 1965, Ben Enwonwu was the most famous artist of African ancestry anywhere in the world. He produced a sculpture of Queen Elizabeth II, traveled to the United States as a guest of the Harmon Foundation and the State Department, and exhibited his work alongside those of Pablo Picasso and other prominent modernists. More than 45 years later, however, Enwonwu has fallen into relative obscurity. Now, Sylvester Okwunodu Ogbechie, an associate professor of art history at UC Santa Barbara, has written a monograph on the life and work of Enwonwu. Titled "Ben Enwo