The African art market is evolving as contemporary African artists are gaining global recognition and making their mark on the international scene. This is a period of massive growth as contemporary African art pieces are in high demand making these pieces incredible investments. Here are some artworks by African artists that have broken auction records as well as the artists personal records in the past decade.
1. Walkers with the Dawn and Morning (2008) by Julie Mehretu – Sold for $10.7M (2023)
Image courtesy, Sotheby’s
Walkers with the Dawn and Morning by Ethiopian artist Julie Mehretu broke the record for the highest sale price of any artwork by an African born artist at Sotheby’s in New York on the 15th of November, 2023. This piece which gets its name from a 1920s Langston Hughes poem is an ink and acrylic on canvas with a dimension of 242.9 x 361 cm. Sotheby’s auction website describes this piece as “an expansive celebration of black perseverance post-Hurricane Katrina, swirling with dense layers, choreographed line work and hints of bright colour in a deep, tonal sea”.
Before this record was set, Julie Mehretu held the previous record, set by her work Untitled, 2001, a month prior to her setting the new record, making her one of two women to have made the list of top 10 most expensive contemporary artworks sold at auction in 2023.
- Untitled, 2001 by Julie Mehretu – Sold for $9.3M (2023).
Untitled, 2001 is a diptych composing of lines and optical colored planes that merge and dissolve into one another on a beige background, measuring 16 feet wide. This signature art piece set a record at Sotheby’s Hong Kong evening sale in October 2023, fetching a whopping sum of $9.32 million making it the highest amount ever paid for a work by an African born artist at the time. The previous record was being held by South African artist, Marlene Dumas for her work ‘The Visitor(1995)’ which was sold for $6.33 million in 2008.
- Tutu (1974) by Benedict Enwonwu – Sold for $1.68M (2018)
It was sold at Bonhams in 2018 for $1.68 million, breaking the record for the most expensive work by a Nigerian artist at an auction. Ben Enwonwu’s previous record at auction was $544,042 for a set of seven wooden sculptures commissioned by the Daily Mirror in 1960 and sold at Bonhams London in 2013.
- Bush Babies by Njideka Akunliyi Crosby – Sold for $3.4M (2018)
In May 2018, Bush Babies by Nigerian born visual artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby, set a new auction record with the sale of nearly $3.4 million at Sotheby’s New York. The painting is inspired by Akunliyi’s experience as a Nigerian woman living in America. Using the medium of acrylic transfers, coloured pencils and collage on paper, Bush Babies portray the artist’s trans-cultural heritage.
- Recycled Dreams (Uniting the World with a Stitch) 2005 by El Anatsui – Sold for $1.5M (2018)
Recycled Dreams is a classic wall sculpture that exemplifies El Anatsui’s sculptural practice. Made from aluminium, bottle caps, copper wire and other discarded materials, this piece is significant to the artist’s style. The sculpture represents and resembles indigenous Ghanaian art and craft with themes that border on environmentalism, sustainability and cross- cultural unity.
It auctioned at Christie’s in New York on November 16, 2018 during the Post- War and Contemporary Art afternoon session. It sold for $1,512,500 exceeding its estimated value of $700,000 – $1 million. This was a notable sale because it was one of the highest auction prices for a work by El Anatsui at the time. His ability to transform discarded materials into art has made his work highly sought after by collectors and museums worldwide.
- The Hours Behind You (2011) by Lynette Yiadom-Boakye – Sold for $1.5M (2017)
The Hours Behind You is a significant work by British- Ghanaian artist, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. The painting is an oil on canvas which portrays an image of five black women. This art piece sold at Sotheby’s in 2017 for $1.57 million, breaking the artist’s previous auction record of 2015, when her art piece ‘Knave’ sold at Christie’s for more than $690,000 including fees. The record breaking sale of ‘The Hours Behind You’ gives prominence to the growing recognition of Lynette’s work within the global art community.
- The Construction of The Suez Canal (1965) by Abdul Hadi El Gazzar – Sold for $1M (2014)
The Construction of The Suez Canal is an iconic piece documenting the construction of the Suez Canal in Egypt. The canal brought about trade and industrial growth as well as political disorder like the Suez crisis. The painting sold for $1 million at a Christie’s auction in Dubai in 2014.
Despite his short career, Abdul Hadid El-Gazzar is one of the most prominent members of the Egyptian modern art movement.
