The Rise of African Modern & Contemporary Art

An African 'Ife' style bronze head, probably from Nigeria. Part of a collection of tribal art from across the African continent available at Tabunov Antiques This spring, Bonhams African Modern & Contemporary Art department declared that they have seen 'an explosion of interest in modern and contemporary art from Africa' (1) . Their statement is backed up by evidence of higher than ever prices reached at auction for the specialism, notably at the recent Marceau Rivière Collection of African Art at Sotheby’s Paris (18-19 June 19). A rare Baule mask from the Ivory Coast hit the headlines after realising a hammer price of 4 million Euros (£3.75m), but there were several big hitters in the 250 lot sale. The highest prices were reached by items originating from the Ivory Coast, as these are the most extensively documented by the art historian Rivière. However, pieces from across the continent and its diaspora performed strongly across the board. Masks, stat