"It has been a legendary painting for 40 years, everybody keeps talking about Tutu, saying 'where is Tutu? "He wasn't just painting the girl, he was painting the whole tradition. It's a symbol of hope and regeneration to Nigeria, it's a symbol of the phoenix rising," he said. "The sitter is Yoruba and Ben Enwonwu was Ibo, so they were of different ethnic tribes," said Eliza Sawyer, specialist in Bonhams' African Art department. "It gives us a glimpse of an important African reconfiguration of the art of portraiture," he said.

Source: Egypt Today February 08, 2018 12:33 UTC