It was 1956, and Queen Elizabeth’s maiden trip to Nigeria was the subject of tremendous excitement.
Only a few years into her reign, the youthful monarch was paying a much-anticipated visit to the unrepublican West African nation.
Ben Enwonwu, a well-known Nigerian artist, was given a royal commission before she arrived to construct an official statue to honor her visit, making him the first African artist to do so.
The person who expanded the definition of what it means to be an African artist
The following year, he started working on the artwork and made multiple trips to London’s Buckingham Palace in 1957.
In all, Queen Elizabeth sat for Enwonwu 12 times, eight of which were at Buckingham Palace.The sculpture was completed in 1957
