Washington: The USD 1.6 million (Rs 11.67 Crore) ‘African Mona Lisa’ is finally on display after over 40 years.
Painted by Nigerian artist Ben Enwonwu, the painting was last displayed in 1975 at the Italian embassy in the Nigerian capital of Lagos, reported CNN.
Over the weekend, the city welcomed the painting as a part of ART X Lagos exhibition.
Also known as ‘Tutu’ painting, the piece had gone missing more than 40 years ago before it ended up at a random apartment in London.
Notably, the painting belongs to a set of three artworks created by Ben during the aftermath of Nigeria’s 1974 civil war.
The three paintings depicted the life of Ife Princes Adetutu Ademiluyi (abbreviated as “Tutu”). The two additional pictures of Ademiluyi are still missing.
Ben was inspired to paint it after he spotted the princess walking in the Nigerian countryside.
ART X Lagos, that began on Friday, saw the presence of Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, a monarch from Ife city located in southwest Nigeria.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]