The National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), in partnership with Coronation Group Ltd., has unveiled a permanent exhibition of Late Ben Enwonwu’s 1956 sculptural masterpiece of Queen Elizabeth II.
The exhibition, entitled “Building A Nation: Ben Enwonwu and the Impact of Sculpture”, also in partnership with Fine Art Auctioneers, Bonhams, was unveiled at NCMM in Lagos on Tuesday.
This entailed a dynamic look into the career of Nigerian master sculptor, late Ben Enwonwu, as the exhibition took art lovers through his process of production of the masterpiece.
The exhibition also featured some of the artist’s world-famous works, highlighting his influence on Nigerian and pan-African art across the globe.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the bronze sculpture of Elizabeth II by Ben Enwonwu was commissioned by the Queen on her visit to Nigeria in 1956, and she sat for Enwonwu in London in 1957.
It was completed by Enwonwu in London and exhibited by him at the Royal Society of British Artists exhibition in London in November 1957.
The over life-sized statue depicts the Queen seated with her hands on her lap.
Speaking during the exhibition, Hannatu Musawa, Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, described late Enwonwu as a national treasure whose works must be given visibility.
Musawa also spoke on the role of cultural preservation in nation building.
“Ben Enwonwu is one of the national treasures, not only of Nigeria, I think of Africa. This is something that I think every Nigerian and every African should be privy to.
“One of our core mandates as a ministry and as government is to work for the private sector.
“Of my eight-point agenda, I think for us, number five is really about public-private partnership, and we have incorporated this into every single project that we’re doing,” she said.
Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Chairman, Coronation Group Ltd., highlighted the need for the private sector to be an integral part of Africa’s cultural preservation movement.
He said: “The private sector has a role to play in this preservation efforts, whether from a funding perspective, launching their own galleries, celebrating local art, or helping to promote the work of both contemporary and classic artists.
“We take great pride in helping to make more of Enwonwu’s work accessible to the Nigerian public.”
Aig-Imoukhuede noted that art and culture remained the strongest things that Africa had given to the world.
He revealed how his understanding and belief in excellence was revealed through art.
He said this was as early as four years, when his mother worked as a staff at the museum and he had to visit the place after school every day.
“I started coming to this museum when I was four years old, when my mother worked here as a curator of this museum.
“I think probably the strongest thing that Africa has given to the world is arts and culture. And I remember listening to debates in this very museum then, about who inspired who, Picasso or Enwonwu.
“My understanding and belief in excellence actually was revealed in art, not in banking, not in finance, not in science, not in technology, but art,” he said.
Aig-Imoukhuede noted that in view of the enormous importance of art, the Coronation Group would henceforth be committed to preserving the works in the museum.
He said that, given the current dollar exchange rate, Enwonwu’s masterpiece of Queen Elizabeth II was such a priceless artwork.
“So, I would encourage you to take a piece of history and take a photograph with this priceless work. Send it out, tweet it. Let people know that we are taking Nigerian and African art to a whole new level.
“We need to give our children and our children’s children that experience that we lived in.
“So, we shall preserve this museum, we shall preserve and support the work of Gbile and other leaders in the arts and culture sector working for government.
“We shall do it the way every other nation does it, because government is never going to be enough, where people like you and I will step forward as individuals and institutions and do what must be done to preserve our arts and culture.
“I don’t know how long it’s going to take, but I hope we will invite everybody back to see the transformation, your storage areas, and every other thing that must be done,” he said.
According to Mr Olugbile Holloway, Director-General of NCMM, the exhibition has a core focus on drawing parallels between ancient Nigerian art and modern artistic expressions.
Holloway said this was through exploring Enwonwu’s role in shaping cultural and national identity, particularly in the years preceding Nigeria’s independence.
“We are here today to pay homage to the past. Not just our fight for independence, but also the spirit of self-determination that was burning across our continent at the time.
“I am not sure it is possible to speak of a renewed hope agenda without alluding to renewed heritage first.
“The National Commission for Museums and Monuments remains committed to ensuring that our past is not left to decay, and I invite you all to join us on this epic journey,” he said.
Neil Coventry, a Researcher and Art Historian, explained that throughout history, sculptures had served as powerful vessels for capturing and preserving cultural narratives.
He said late Enwonwu’s work used the sculptural form to delve into complex themes like African identity and Nigeria’s cultural narrative. “This exhibition highlights the significance of storytelling through Enwonwu’s sculptures, which breathe life into historical, spiritual and social narratives, connecting Nigeria’s past with its future,” he said.