Recent auction successes suggest a peak in collector interest in fine African art writes Jennyfer IdehIdehJennyfer Ideh

This upward trend is well-deserved, too — such is the analysis of Christophe Person.

The former asset manager and African art specialist is currently the head of the contemporary African art department at Piasa.

This year, the Paris auction house has plans to host three sales of African art, up from the usual two, the first of which will be an evening auction on 18 April. The team at Piasa have brought together a catalogue of 177 works: described as a ‘panorama’, the varied se-lection aims to demonstrate the breadth of artistic production across the continent and the diaspora. Beyond geography and medium, the panorama also applies to time, and the curation situates the works inan African art historical context.

Highlights include the lively yet intricate ink works of Boubacar Coulibaly, a large Gonçalo Mabunda throne that was exhibited at the 2015 Venice Biennale, three special works by Hassan El Glaoui, two Jilali Ghar-baoui works on paper, one Seyni Awa-Camara sculpture and photography by Leonce Raphael Agbodjelou and Omar Victor Diop.

“Strong” and “still undervalued” are the keywords that Person uses to describe the current state of the Afri-can art market. Viewing was open to the public from Saturday 14th April in Paris, and the sale begins at 6pm on Wednesday 18 April. 

For further details, visit Piasa.