Taft Museum of Art Presents: Signature Talk | Negotiating Authenticity Between Africa and America: Ben Enwonwu and the Harmon Foundation, 1950–1957

Learn about artist Ben Enwonwu, his work, and his impact on the world from Perrin M. Lathrop, PhD, the co-curator of African Modernism in America. Event admission includes the opportunity for attendees to view the special exhibition before the talk.

In 1950, Ben Enwonwu, with the help of the Harmon Foundation, became one of the first modern African artists to travel to the United States. The artist moved between pan-African contexts in Nigeria, Europe, and the US as colonialism waned and independence loomed in the decades following World War II. Enwonwu developed a personal narrative around his authenticity as an African artist rooted in his connection to tradition that appealed to an often-imagined idea of Africa then popular among audiences from diverse backgrounds. His successful negotiation of attitudes around African authenticity gave him the platform and language to articulate legacies of shared history and culture on which pan-African solidarity could be built.

Speaker: Perrin M. Lathrop, PhD
Supported by the Stanley and Frances D. Cohen Lecture Series
Sponsored by Michael B. Hays and Carol Boram-Hays, PhD