The young monarch had only been on the throne for a few years and was making a long-awaited visit to a West African country that had not yet become a republic.
Prior to her arrival, renowned Nigerian artist Ben Enwonwu received a royal commission commemorating her visit with a statue that made her the first African artist to create an official portrait of a member of the royal family. I got
He began working on sculpture the following year and made several visits to Buckingham Palace in London.
Ben Enwongwu working on a bronze sculpture of the Queen credit: Courtesy: Oliver Enwonwu/The Ben Enwonwu Foundation
The rest of the sitting took place in a private studio owned by Enwonwu’s colleague at the Royal Society of British Artists, Sir William Reed Dick.
According to the Foundation, during this time, Enwonwu “completed the portrait bust and the sketch model of the sculpture”.

Ben Enwonwu and HM Elizabeth II looking at a sculpture of the Queen credit: Courtesy: Oliver Enwonwu/The Ben Enwonwu Foundation
“African Features”
Enwonwu completed the sculpture in 1957, but at the time he was frowned upon for portraying the queen with fuller lips. His son Oliver said that “Africanizing” his subjects was part of Ben Enwonwu’s signature style.
Oliver Enwongwu told CNN, “Some of the rave reviews the sculpture has received is that the artist has portrayed the Queen through the eyes of Africa, and the work has an African character to it, which is what makes him unique.” It was a feature of the work,” he said.
Oliver, who is also a renowned artist, described the sculpture of the Queen as one of his father’s best works.
“My dad was so proud of it. It was one of his masterpieces that showed his dexterity as an artist,” he told CNN.
“At the time[En Wong Wu made a sculpture of the Queen]was a big deal because he was an African artist. But he was the most famous in the Commonwealth at the time, so he nods It was very easy,” Oliver added.

Statue unveiling in Nigeria credit: Courtesy: Oliver Enwonwu/The Ben Enwonwu Foundation
The sculpture later ended up in Nigeria, where Queen Elizabeth acquired the bust and according to the Royal Collection Trust, there was another Enwonwu sculpture and some of his paintings.
The Queen’s bronze was placed in the Nigerian Parliament Building in advance of the country’s preparations for independence from Britain in 1960.
This work is now in the collection of the Nigerian National Museum.
influential african artist
Enwonwu has become known as one of Africa’s greatest modernists.
Born in 1917, Enwonwu is considered one of the most influential African artists of the 20th century.
He became a noted artist even before he received royal commissions and was awarded an MBE by the Queen in 1954 for his services to the arts.
After a successful solo exhibition, Enwonwu received a scholarship from Shell West Africa and the British Council in 1944 to study art in England. He received a classical education at the Slade School of Art in London and attended Oxford University. Enwonwu later returned to Nigeria and became a lecturer.
He was appointed Nigeria’s first professor of arts by the University of Ife, now known as Obafemia Wolobo University, in 1971, and nine years later received the National Award of Merit from the Nigerian government.
He died in 1994 at the age of 77.