Breaking: Princess Tutus paint sells for African record N508million
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fetched 12150 while dancers got 112501 ben enwonwus paint of ile-ife princess adetutu ademiluyi known as tutu has fetched in a london auction 1 205000 four times more than expected1 the nigerian masterpiece initially declared missing was found in a modest north london flat recently1 bonhams the auction company announced the record price for the paint which measuresand was signed by enwonwu and dated 19741 the identity of the buyer of the lot 47 has not been disclosed yet1 there were other enwonwus paints sold today but none fetched anything near tutu1 enwonwus fulani girl fetched 13125. children of onitsha got 112501 in naira terms it was sold for n508 358 301 an african record1 itachafo muo another enwonwus paint was sold for 18750.e got 40000 10000001 the other nigerian artist whose work was also of great reckoning during the auction was yusuf adebayo cameron grillo. hisevangelists cymbal triangle and tambourine done in 1964 was sold for 562501 bonhams says on its website that ben enwonwus portraits of tutu have achieved a high level of celebrity because the paintings were some of the most enigmatic works produced by a nigerian artist in the 20th century1 in 1971 enwonwu who died in1994 at the age of 77 was appointed the first professor of fine art at the university of ife1 the violence of the nigerianbiafran conflict 1967-1970 was still fresh in public consciousness and academic institutions were tasked with promoting a spirit of national reconciliation. enwonwu embraced this duty using negritude ideology and imagery to explore issues of cultural identity and political contestation that the nigerian civil war had laid bare. the artist created a number of his most famous works during this period including three portraits all titled of a young yoruba woman named ad1 enwonwu frequently made trips to the countryside surrounding ife sketching the landscape and recording cultural traditions and practices. it was during one of these visits that he encountered tutu. he was so impressed by her beauty and unusual features that he asked her parents for permission to paint her. enwonwu may have also been motivated by her status as a royal princess of ife he was also of royal lineage descended from the umuezearoli of onitsha. in addition winning the approval of the i1