$1.4m for Nigerian painting
Publish date: 23 October 2019
Issue Number: 1804
Diary: Legalbrief eLaw
Category: General
* A painting by the Nigerian artist responsible for the ‘African Mona Lisa’ sold at auction in London last week for $1.4m after the family who owned it googled the signature and realised its importance. ‘Christine’, by 20th century master of African modernism Ben Enwonwu, had been in the sitter's family home ever since it was painted in Lagos in 1971. ‘The family was unaware of the significance of the painting or the importance of the artist, until a chance googling of the signature led them to Sotheby's free Online Estimate Platform,’ said the London auction house.
