Uzo Egonu

The canvas is unlined, stretched, and unframed with wear to the framing edges. There are two surface losses on the top of the kneeling girl's yellow sock less than 1 cm squared each in the lower left corner. Examination under UV light reveals small areas of retouching to the back of the leaning boy on the left, and 1 cm to the centre of the painting near Nkrumah's hand on the right. There are small surface losses and associated filling to the background of the upper right corner, one measuring 1 by 2 cm squared and other two smaller areas. The varnish is uneven particularly to the foreground of the work and thick in same areas, appearing opaque under UV light.
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Nkrumah was painted five years after Ghana had gained political independence in 1957. As the first President of Ghana and for his leadership in the achievement of Ghana’s independence, Kwame Nkrumah was admired by many across the continent and in the diaspora.

Uzo Egonu illustrates his own desire to be part of this movement, with the painting of his face directly to the right of Nkrumah. Surrounded by children and adult admirers, Nkrumah’s gesture towards the kneeling children conveys his benevolent traits as a leader loved by the people. Nkrumah is dressed in a long kente fabric which represents Ghanaian culture, and symbolises his honourable status.

Compared to Artist painting of mother and child, this early painting offers more figurative detail in the representative depiction of Egonu, Nkrumah, and the crowd. Egonu’s work has been included in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Arts Council of England, National Museum of Modern Art in Poland, and the National Gallery of Modern Art in Lagos, among others.