Ben Enwonwu's Daily Mirror sculptures
The Nigerian artist Ben Enwonwu created a series of wooden sculptures for the London headquarters of the Daily Mirror in 1961. The sculptures subsequently disappeared from the newspaper's headquarters and were rediscovered and sold at auction in 2013.
Enwonwu had a prominent public reputation at the time of the Daily Mirror commission following the successful reception of his 1956 sculpture
Enwonwu's biographer, Sylvester Ogbechie, described the series as having been unveiled to "unanimous praise" upon their installation.[2]
The pieces were rediscovered in 2013 having disappeared from the Daily Mirror's headquarters in the 1960s.
Form and interpretation
The seven sculptures are carved from African
Enwonwu stated in a 1961 interview with the Daily Mirror that he had tried in the creation of the piece to "... represent the wings of the Daily Mirror, flying news all over the world ... The group forms a sort of chorus. It is almost a religious group. All art, I believe, has a religious feeling – a belief in humanity".[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Ben Enwonwu (Nigerian, 1921–1994) – Seven wooden sculptures commissioned by the Daily Mirror in 1960". Bonhams. Archived from the original on 2021-09-17. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ Ogbechie, Sylvester (2008). Ben Enwonwu: The Making of an African Modernist. New York: University Rochester Press.
- ^ a b "Did Kray twins steal lost Daily Mirror sculptures? Recovered art treasures sell at auction for £300,000". Daily Mirror. 25 May 2013. Archived from the original on 2016-03-18. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
- ^ Sarah Cascone (1 March 2018). "A Long-Lost Nigerian Masterpiece Found in a London Apartment Just Set a Record at Bonhams". Artnet. Archived from the original on 2021-09-06. Retrieved 15 September 2021.