Beauford Delaney, Kehinde Wiley and Nearly a Century of African Art to be Auctioned at PIASA

For the first time, on May 19, 2021 in Paris, the Parisian auction house PIASA will present two major African-American artists: Beauford Delaney, the great African-American painter of the post-war period, and Kehinde Wiley, the contemporary portraitist whose pop aesthetic and pictorial settings have seduced even Barack Obama, who has chosen him for a canvas representation.

In addition to these two artists, the sale will also be marked by the presence of artists from the African continent such as James Barnor, Paul Kodjo Ingrid Mwangi and others from the School of Dakar in Senegal and the historic Hangar Studio in Congo. This event will bring together a panorama of about a century of African art to provoke a questioning of preconceived ideas about African art and provoke a dialogue with its diasporas and various other related scenes.
The approach is supported by the two new directors: Olivia Anani and Charlotte Lidon, who have been in charge of the « Africa + Modern and Contemporary Art » department at PIASA since last January.

An eclectic choice of works for the auction

These include portraits already estimated at between 100,000 and 200,000 Euros, prints dating from the 60s and 70s by the Ghanaian photographer James Barnor, two pieces by the German-Kenyan duo Mwangi Hutter, and works by Sudanese and Egyptian artists and the Congolese school.

Kehinde Wiley

This painting by artist Kehinde Wiley is from the series « From the world stage: China », one of the first projects that will take the famous artist around the world. With this project, he wanted to explore the history of political propaganda during the Chinese Cultural Revolution and at the same time invite us to question our preconceived notions of identity, class and gender. This work is estimated at 100,000 / 150,000 Euros

Beauford Delaney

This portrait from the Paris period by Beauford Delaney, a major figure in post-war American art, is estimated at 150,000 to 200,000 Euros.

James Barnor

An iconic figure in African photography, James Barnor introduced color photography to Ghana in the early 1970s. Two of his most famous photographs will be presented in the auction and are estimated at between €6,000 and €20,000

Paul Kodjo

Three photographs of Paul Kodjo, another figure of African photography will be offered for sale. They are estimated between 5.000 / 7.000 €.

Other artists

Two younger artists will make their debut at the auction. This is the duo of Ingrid Mwangi and Robert Hutter who will present two works.

Modern African art will also be represented with a fine selection of works from the Nile Valley, from Sudan to Egypt, led by an important bronze by the master of Egyptian sculpture Mahmoud Mouktar. The important Congolese scene will not be on the sidelines of this auction. It will be represented by market favorites such as the Hangar school and of course, popular painters such as Chéri Samba and Moké.

The program of the auction at PIASA

The first auction « Africa + Modern and Contemporary Art » of Piasa will take place on Wednesday, May 19 at 4 pm, at 118 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré 75008 Paris.

It will be preceded by a public exhibition that will take place according to the following program
Friday, May 14 from 10 am to 6 pm
Saturday, May 15 from 11 am to 6 pm
Monday, May 17 from 10 am to 6 pm
Tuesday, May 18 from 10am to 6pm
Wednesday May 19th from 10am to 12pm

Bids can be made on site, by phone or on the website.
The auction catalog is available for download.