The Modern & Contemporary African Art auction takes place on Wednesday 22nd March 2023 from 3pm, at Bonhams in their New Bond Street, London location. There are 67 lots in the sale, with estimates ranging from £700 to £500,000.
The fine art on sale is from across the continent and a range of mediums; South Africa, Nigeria, Ethiopia and the Ivory Coast. Oil on canvas, wooden sculpture and gouache on card and – my favourite item in the sale – a chimp created out of old vehicle tyres. It immediately reminded me of a piece that I saw in the Picasso Museum in Paris many years ago. It was a sculpture of a baboon and young where the mother’s face was composed of a pair of bronze casts of toy Citroen 2CVs.
Buyer’s premium rates are as follows:
27.5% on the first £20,000 of the hammer price
26% of the hammer price of amounts in excess of £20,000 up to and including £700,000
20% of the hammer price of amounts in excess of £700,000 up to and including £4,500,000
14.5% of the hammer price of any amounts in excess of £4,500,000
VAT at the current rate of 20% will be added to the Buyer’s Premium and charges excluding Artists Resale Right.
Lot 3: Zanele Muholi (South African, born 1972)
Ngizwile, 2021
signed, titled and dated ‘Zanele Muholi/ Ngizwile/ 2021/ 120x180cm/ ZM’ (verso)
acrylic on canvas
180 x 120cm (70 7/8 x 47 1/4in).
(unframed)
Estimate: £10,000 – £15,000
Lot 12: Afewerk Tekle (Ethiopian, 1932-2012)
Ibeji and other objects
signed and dated in Amharic and ‘afewerk tekle/1964’ (lower left)
oil on canvas on board
50.5 x 75.4cm (19 7/8 x 29 11/16in).
(unframed)
Estimate: £8,000 – £12,000
Lot 14: Abdoulaye Diarrassouba “Aboudia” (Ivorian, born 1983)
Untitled
signed ‘ABOUDIA/ 18’ (lower right)
oil stick, acrylic and collage on canvas
100 x 100cm (39 3/8 x 39 3/8in).
(unframed)
Estimate: £30,000 – £50,000
Lot 17: Yusuf Adebayo Cameron Grillo (Nigerian, 1934-2021)
The Seventh Knot, 1969
signed and dated ‘Y GRILLO/ 69′ (lower left); inscribed ’22/ THE SEVENTH KNOT/ OIL ON BOARD BY/ Y.A GRILLO 1969’ (verso)
oil on board
121 x 75cm (47 5/8 x 29 1/2in).
(framed)
Estimate: £150,000 – £200,000
Lot 21: Ablade Glover (Ghanaian, born 1934)
Pot Sellers
signed and dated ‘Glo/ 12’ (lower right); inscribed ‘Market Profile pot sellers, Glo -86/012, 40×60’ (verso)
oil on canvas
102 x 152cm (40 3/16 x 59 13/16in).
(framed)
Estimate: £12,000 – £18,000
Lot 24: Benedict Chukwukadibia Enwonwu M.B.E (Nigerian, 1917-1994)
Africa Dances, 1991
signed and dated ‘BEN ENWONWU 1991’ (lower left)
oil on canvas
70 x 60cm (27 9/16 x 23 5/8in).
(framed)
Estimate: £150,000 – £200,000
Lot 27: Ablade Glover (Ghanaian, born 1934)
Lorry Station
signed and dated ‘Glo/ 20’ (lower right)
oil on canvas
102 x 102cm (40 3/16 x 40 3/16in).
(unframed)
Estimate: £5,000 – £8,000
Lot 30: Stanley Faraday Pinker (South African, 1924-2012)
Untitled
signed ‘SF Pinker’ (lower left); bears ‘John Mathieson & Co., Edinburgh’ label (verso)
oil on board
21.1 x 43.7cm (8 5/16 x 17 3/16in).
(framed)
Estimate: £4,000 – £6,000
Lot 36: Lucas Tandokwazi Sithole (South African, 1931-1994)
Sculpture
signed ‘L.T.SITHOLE’ (to the base)
wood
46.5 x 10 x 9cm (18 5/16 x 3 15/16 x 3 9/16in)
Estimate: £3,000 – £5,000
Lot 41: Irma Stern (South African, 1894-1966)
Still life of fish
signed and dated ‘Irma Stern/ 1939’ (centre right)
oil on canvas
49.7 x 59.7cm (19 9/16 x 23 1/2in).
(framed)
Estimate: £30,000 – £50,000
Lot 53: Benedict Chukwukadibia Enwonwu M.B.E. (Nigerian, 1917-1994)
Dancer, 1958
signed and dated ‘Ben Enwonwu/ 1958′ (lower left); inscribed ’22’ (verso)
gouache on card
53 x 13cm (20 7/8 x 5 1/8in).
(framed)
Estimate: £10,000 – £15,000
Lot 66: Ernest Nkwocha (Nigerian, born 1986)
Deep Thought, 2021,
signed ‘ERNEST NKWOCHA’ (right shoulder)
wire, nails, and repurposed tyres on plinth
60 x 53 x 42cm (23 5/8 x 20 7/8 x 16 9/16in).
Estimate: £3,000 – £5,000