Footnotes

Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist by the owner's mother;
Thence by descent;
A private collection.

Literature
S. Ogbechie, Ben Enwonwu: The Making of an African Modernist, (Durham, 2008), front cover illustration.

Masquerades and themes of metamorphosis suffuse the oeuvre of Nigerian sculptor and painter Benedict Chukwukadibia Enwonwu, one of the most significant African artists of the 20th century. During his childhood, Enwonwu was embedded in Igbo cultural practices and paintings of masquerades appeared quite early in his oeuvre (the earliest date to 1936). The Igbo pantheon of masquerades is called Mmonwu (spirits) and, among Enwonwu's Onitsha-Igbo people, masquerade serve as a bridge between the living and the ancestors. Masquerades like the Agbogho Mmo however act more on the secular side of things, being very beautiful to look at and performing extraordinarily sensuous dances.

Ben Enwonwu's Agbogho Mmuo is a masterpiece and in the above work, the artist returns to the inaugural artwork of his most famous series—"Africa Dances." That work was painted while he was a student at the University of London, and it marked the emergence of a theme of masquerade performances in Enwonwu's art. "Africa Dances" was Enwonwu's first efforts to push back against colonial narratives that misinterpreted aspects of African culture, especially dance. He returned to this theme for the rest of his life. The Agbogho Mmuo paintings represented the flowering of Enwonwu's mature style. Over the years, he created paintings of this masquerade's extraordinary form and striking colours that were culturally meaningful.

This particular painting demonstrates the principal form of Enwonwu's subject: a profile view of the dancing masquerade that shows off its dainty steps, sinuous body movements and multicoloured costume to great effect. The masquerade's white face is captured in profile as is the riotous colours of its headdress. The form of the masquerade is painted in varying shades of yellow and orange colours with its intricate body markings painted in umber tones. Splashes of red colour charge up the multicoloured regalia of the dancing masquerade. Enwonwu obscures the distinction between the foreground and background, collapsing both into an indeterminate space that hints at the spirit's metaphysical origins. Background and sky are suggested by broad blue strokes that contrast with the darker shades of colour in the foreground. The masquerade is represented as a solitary figure though hints of the charged atmosphere of its performance can be seen in Enwonwu's vigorous brushstrokes and colorwork.

This Agbogho Mmuo is one of the most important of Enwonwu's paintings of masquerades. The form, composition and themes he established in this painting recurred throughout his life, although later versions moved away from the strict profiles of this original to more dynamic poses, as the artist became more invested in the numinous affect of masquerade performances.

This painting is undoubtedly among Enwonwu's major artworks and is special by virtue of its visionary focus. It is generated from a form that sustained Enwonwu's art for almost five decades, and is a rare example of how deeply the artist plumbed his Onitsha-Igbo culture for significant forms and symbolic imagery.


We are grateful to Professor Sylvester Okwunodu Ogbechie for his assistance in the preparation of the above catalogue entry.