Missing Painting of Nigerian Princess Tutu Worths £300,000 Found in London Apartment

A missing painting of a Nigerian princess that attained an almost mythical status after being unseen for decades has been discovered in a north London flat.

Ben Enwonwu’s 1974 painting of the Ife princess Adetutu Ademiluyi, known as Tutu, is a national icon in Nigeria, with poster reproductions hanging on walls in homes all over the country.

The artist, regarded as the founding father of Nigerian modernism, painted three versions of Tutu and the image became a symbol of national reconciliation. But all three were lost and became the subject of much speculation.

The Nigerian novelist Ben Okri said it amounted to the “the most significant discovery in contemporary African art in over 50 years, according to The Guardian.

The discovery was made by Giles Peppiatt, the director of modern African art at the auction house Bonhams.

He estimated he gets sent a Tutu every eight weeks and it invariably turns out to be a print. But late last year, a family in north London approached him asking him to come and see a painting they said was by Enwonwu.

The family has asked to remain anonymous. The painting was something their father had bought years ago.

The painting will be sold at Bonhams in London on February 28, but such is the anticipated interest “its appearance on the market is a momentous event”, said Peppiatt – that the sale will also be broadcast live to bidders in Lagos.

It is expected to sell for between £200,000 and £300,000. If it goes over the upper limit it will set a new record for a modern Nigerian artist.

Culled from TheCable.