Ben Enwonwu in his art studio in Ikoyi, suburb of Lagos, Nigeria

"Benedict Chukwukadibia Enwonwu was born in Onitsha at the beginning of the 20th Century and his career encompassed the major aesthetic traditions that shaped the character of modern Nigerian art. These include the indigenuous aesthetic traditions of Nigeria and the European modes of symbolic communication appropriated by Nigerian artists during the colonial period. Enwonwu and four other students (collectively known as the Murray School) formed the first group of Nigerian students trained in European techniques of visual representation by the British colonial government. He become the first African to achieve international acclaim as a contemporary artist. He was active until his death in 1994." [Ogbechie S., 2002: Ben Enwonwu; Aesthetics and Artistic Identity in Modern Nigeria Art. Nka Journal of Contemporary African Art. Number 16/17. Fall/Winter 2002]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Life magazine and traveled to Africa from August 18, 1959 to December 20, 1959.