Pen and acrylic ink, 9” x 12”, Framed

Small Beginnings

By Chinwe I. Ndubuka

The museum curator crossed his arms, examining an exhibition two days to its opening. His apprentice, a young woman with wide eyes and a BA in Art History and Museum Studies watched. He’d entrusted her with recreating a famous Parisian art studio. 

Floral wallpaper—albeit slightly offset at the seams —served as the backdrop to a fuchsia settee, mirroring the early 20th-century photograph he’d provided. Portrait paintings dotted one wall. Cityscapes, another. She’d insightfully arranged brushes, stained wooden palettes, and cups on a table. Labels chronicled small beginnings turned into fame as they would again abroad and under his tutelage.