UZO EGONU | Picadilly Circus

London, Museum of London, Uzo Egonu's London, 23 September 2004-9 January 2005

Olu Oguibe, Uzo Egonu: An African Artist in the West, Seattle, 1995, illustrated p. 121
Eddie Chambers, Black Artists in British Art: A History from 1950 to the Present, London, 2014, illustrated p. 59

Original canvas. Canvas is unlined and appears to be sound. Please note, there are pieces of tape along all four sides of the works. Upon closer inspection there are a handful of lines of cracking throughout the work, as well as areas of minor loss. These losses are particularly concentrated within the extremities of the work. The largest area of loss can be found in the lower right hand edge of the work and measures approximately 40mm high and 10mm wide. Minor buckling of the canvas towards the corners of the work. Minor wear visible upon close inspection to corners of the work. Overall, the work is in very good condition. UV Light: Inspection under UV light reveals areas of retouching throughout. Frame: This work is stretched and framed. Please telephone the department on +44 (0) 207 293 6323 if you have any questions regarding the present work.
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London played a principal role in the subject matter of Uzo Egonu’s work. Through his artwork, he depicted many facets of the city with particular focus on landmarks and monuments such as St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and Trafalgar Square. Egonu’s work incorporates an arresting colour palette of vibrant, bold hues within a fusion of abstract, caricature and photo-realistic styles. Piccadilly Circus sets a precedent for his later works in the ‘Landmark’ series, presenting London through both a humorous and emotional lens. The image depicts a central Eros statue, around which buses, advertisements and traffic swirl in red, white and blue. Egonu depicts a birds-eye view of the lively and restless city.

The Landmark Series was pivotal for Egonu. Uzo’s work harmoniously combines aesthetic traditions of both the West and Africa, reshaping the definition of Modernist art. Piccadilly Circus exemplifies these stylistic components and echoes the Cubist movement, Nigerian ornamentation and 1960s British pop-art, all of which greatly inspired Egonu's work.