A painting by theNigerian artist responsible for the "African Mona Lisa" sold atauction in London on Tuesday for £1.1 million after the family who owned itgoogled the signature and realized its importance. "Christine", by20th century master of African modernism Ben Enwonwu, had been in the sitter'sfamily home ever since it was painted in Lagos in 1971.
"The familywere 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 freeOnline Estimate Platform," said the London auction house.
The paintingfetched over seven times the pre-auction estimate, finally going under thehammer for £1.1 million. The work precedes the artist's 1974 painting of Iferoyal princess Adetutu "Tutu" Ademiluyi, which recently turned up ina London flat after not being seen in decades. The portrait is a national icon in Nigeria, with Booker Prize-winningnovelist Ben Okri telling AFP that it was thought of as "the African MonaLisa".
Enwonwu, who diedin 1994, is considered the father of Nigerian modernism. He made threepaintings of "Tutu", the locations of all of which had been a mysteryuntil the recent discovery. The works became symbols of peace following theclash of ethnic groups in the Nigerian-Biafran conflict of the late1960s.-AFP