InterviewArt market
Abuja, Miami, Seoul: gallery director Dolly Kola-Balogun maps out her path to African art’s world domination
The 27-year-old powerhouse founder of Retro Africa talks about her expansion plans and how she is helping to build a contemporary art scene in Nigeria
NewsRestitution
'There has been a generational shift': Belgian government to collaborate with Democratic Republic of Congo to return colonial-era loot
Bilateral accord to include projects to conserve, research, and store restituted items
NewsRestitution
The Met will return two Benin Bronzes to Nigeria
The Benin Court plaques donated in 1991 with more than 150 other works, have been deaccessioned, while a third object, an Ife Head offered for purchase, will instead be restituted
NewsRestitution
Scottish university claims Benin bronze bought for £750 is worth £500,000—but is that now really the case?
Aberdeen University is returning its looted 18th-century oba head to the Nigerian federal government
NewsBenin Bronzes
Global survey: where in the world are the Benin bronzes?
Around 160 institutions hold looted Benin artefacts, but how many are prepared to give them back? We asked museums in five countries for their position on restitution
NewsAfrican art
Researchers discover trove of works by major African Modernists in rural Scotland
Paintings and drawings have been reattributed to some of the continent's most famous 20th-century names
AnalysisArt market
As the market for their artists booms, African galleries take control by expanding to the West
With outposts springing up from London to Los Angeles, dealers are putting their artists on the global map
InterviewRestitution
Why African voices are crucial to the debate over the return of colonial loot
Senegalese art historian El Hadji Malick Ndiaye says discussions and decisions about the restitution of African artefacts cannot be dictated by the West
NewsRestitution
‘The movement is unstoppable’: African scholars and activists hail German plan to return Benin bronzes
“There is simply no moral ground for the confiscation of African artefacts in Western museums,” says the Cameroonian philosopher Achille Mbembe
NewsPrizes
First art prize dedicated to female African artists launches today
Accra-based Gallery 1957 organises prize to celebrate its fifth birthday, with all-star jury set to announce cash prizes for three winners
CommentMuseums
Could 2021 be the year of the African museum?
While the West continues to grapple with its colonial past, institutions from Togo to Cairo are creating more expansive models to celebrate art
NewsRestitution
Congolese activist who tried to seize an artefact from the Louvre is fined €5,000
Mwazulu Diyabanza says that “museums do not deserve respect” as restitution debate intensifies
AnalysisAfrica
'Restitution is important but it is not essential': the African museums building a homegrown cultural revival
Though African institutions want looted artefacts to return home, they are more preoccupied with promoting living artists and treasures
AnalysisArt market
Africa’s art market grows even amid adversity
In a year marked by closures, cancellations and postponements, African art fairs are going ahead with new models and the continent’s galleries are growing
NewsCollectors
Congolese collector Sindika Dokolo reportedly dies in Dubai diving accident
Tributes pour in for “defender of African art”—who was also being investigated by Angolan authorities
NewsArt crime
Man tries to take artefact from Louvre—just two weeks after being charged for the same crime at Quai Branly
Congolese activist Emery Mwazulu Diyabanza, fined €1,000 earlier this month, will go to court again later today
NewsFrance
Congolese activist fined €1,000 for trying to seize African funeral pole from Paris museum
Emery Mwazulu Diyabanza and the other activists who removed the object from display at the Musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac say their actions are a protest against colonial looting
NewsArt market
Houston politician's mysterious collection of African artefacts raises alarm bells
Hundreds of pieces of African art are being stored in a publicly funded warehouse by the Harris County commissioner Rodney Ellis with little explanation of their background
AnalysisArt fairs
'If you're coming to buy, you have two hours to do it': what it's like at London's real-life 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair
In the absence of the major fairs and auctions, Modern and contemporary African art is in the spotlight in London this week
NewsAfrican art
Trial of Quai Branly protestors in Paris centres on ‘political’ aspect of activist action
Court erupts after attendee shouts that African funeral pole "belongs to us"
NewsMuseums
Man arrested after protesting against Benin Bronzes display at London museum
Defendant was charged with using “threatening, abusive, insulting words or behaviour with intent to cause harassment, alarm or distress” during incident in January
NewsArt fairs
Scaled back 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair will go ahead in October—despite Frieze cancellation
Smaller fair and online collaboration with Christie's planned as UK government says trade fairs can resume from 1 October
NewsAuctions
Waning market for African artefacts? Controversial Benin bronze fails to sell at Christie's
Academics challenge the provenance of the Edo plaque as well as two Igbo alusi figures that sold under estimate for €212,500
NewsCollectors
Portuguese judge orders seizure of all assets owned by African art collector Isabel dos Santos in the country
Move is intended to stall the sales of stakes in multi-million-Euro companies based in Portugal
NewsFakes & copies
'Stolen' ancient sculpture returned to Nigeria is 'the kind of fake you could buy on eBay', African art expert says
Countries' rush to restitute objects is part of the problem, says Belgian lawyer
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Face-off with a founding father: Brooklyn honours African art by placing it amidst its other collections
New exhibition seeks to “fill in the blanks that are still present in museums and art history books”
NewsControversies
Luanda Leaks: Isabel dos Santos—who owns vast African art collection—accused of making her $2.2bn fortune by exploiting Angola
Dos Santos and her husband Sindika Dokolo own around 3,000 works by artists including William Kentridge and Zanele Muholi
NewsCollectors
Angola freezes assets of billionaire and her art collector husband
Isabel dos Santos, Africa’s richest woman, is married to Sindika Dokolo who has been working for years on repatriating works to the African continent
NewsRestitution
George Soros's Open Society Foundations pledges $15m to help Africa recover looted heritage
Paid over four years, it will support efforts made by museums, grassroots-organisations and governments
ReviewArt market
Also Known As Africa fair draws crowds but lacks big galleries—for now
Parisian fair dedicated to contemporary African art is gaining momentum in its fourth edition
ReviewArt market
Art X Lagos 'pursues own mandate' as fair doubles in size
In its fourth edition, Nigerian event exhibits artists from 24 countries but maintains a focus on West Africa and growing local collector base
NewsArt education
Art school shake up: London's Courtauld Institute to offer Modern and contemporary African art degrees
New Tate curator calls the development "a bold decision" in a "burgeoning field"
FeatureAfrican art
Why African women artists are bucking the market trend
The growing success of female African artists marks an exciting shift in the market
FeatureSouth Africa
Nando’s enormous collection puts the peri-peri in African art
With over 22,000 works hung on its walls, the popular chicken chain is an unlikely champion for emerging South African artists
NewsAfrican art
African art gallery co-founded by Hemingway's son opens Tribeca storefront
The gallery originally opened in the 1970s as a venue for the launch party of Hemingway's memoir
NewsArt market
For African artists, it pays to be female
Four women top the auction market for African art as collectors look to 'fill gaps in the market'
NewsOuter Space
Work by an African artist to be launched into space to highlight effects of global warming
Piece will be fixed onto nose of an Ariane 5 launcher that will be collecting data on climate change's impact on Africa
InterviewFrom the archive
In search of art out of Africa: an interview with Jean Pigozzi
“I feel that at the time of the Medici they had my kind of rapport with their artists”
NewsMuseums
With Jean Pigozzi's contemporary African art donation, MoMA to become a 'leader' in the field
The museum says the gift will play an important role in the reconfiguration of its permanent collection
NewsRestitution
Benin gets €20m loan for new museum to show restituted heritage
France’s president pledged to return 26 items seized in the 19th century by the French military
NewsRestitution
France retreats from report recommending automatic restitutions of looted African artefacts
Suggestions from controversial Savoy-Sarr report were all-but buried at a conference held in Paris
InterviewJewellery
Wakanda comes to Washington
Douriean Fletcher, who made the jewellery for Black Panther, speaks at the National Museum of Women in the Arts
NewsCommercial galleries
Transvangarde pioneer October Gallery turns 40
The London space champions emerging artists from across the globe
NewsArt market
Goodman Gallery will open in London to rail against 'heightened nationalist sentiment and populist politics'
South African gallery is first to be confirmed for new Cork Street redevelopment which has been empty since it was finished last year
NewsTEFAF Maastricht 2019
Savoy-Sarr report fails to dent tribal market, says Tefaf exhibitor
Didier Claes, who was consulted for the restitution report commissioned by French president Emmanuel Macron, says it has invigorated the market for African art
NewsAfrican art
Brooklyn Museum's detective work reveals original owners of African mask
Family elders give blessing to new exhibition of Yorùbá masquerade costume, stolen from Nigerian shrine room 70 years ago
NewsRestitution
Nigeria calls for return of Lander Stool from the British Museum
Woodcarving was taken from the African country in 1830 by the UK explorer Richard Lander
PreviewExhibitions
A careful collector’s gift of African objects and Modern art is celebrated in Detroit
New exhibition is dedicated to Margaret Demant—a passionate booster of the Detroit Institute of Arts’ collection
PreviewExhibitions
When Saharan sands glittered with gold: how the world's largest desert was a major medieval trade route
New exhibition at the Block Museum of Art looks at the artefacts that flowed through the region assisted by the spread of Islam
NewsAfrican art
Africa’s pre-colonial ‘crown jewels’ to find a home in new South African museum
Javett Art Centre at University of Pretoria will display 800-year-old gold collection excavated in the 1930s
AnalysisRestitution
The repatriation debate intensifies as calls for post-colonial restitution grow—but is it legal?
Recommendations from Savoy-Sarr report into restitution by French museums may contravene the country’s laws
NewsCultural policy
'Give Africa its art back', Macron's report says
A new report on the status of African objects in French museums will urge the president to return works taken “without consent” in the colonial period
PreviewArt market
Frieze 2018 reveals strong UK-South African ties
South African artists are enjoying a growth in overseas interest, as seen in London this month
CommentRestitution
Returning looted African art is as urgent as giving back works stolen by the Nazis
Congolese-born art collector Sindika Dokolo says this "long-neglected historical wrong" is finally being addressed—but more can be done
NewsAfrican art
Contested Asante trophy head to shine in new Wallace room
Seized during the Ashanti war and long held by the London museum, the prized Ghanaian work is to be displayed in a new permanent gallery
NewsRestitution
Angola recovers six artefacts looted from museum during civil war
Dundo Museum's lost objects were traced by the Sindika Dokolo Foundation
PreviewExhibitions
The futuristic architecture that emerged from Mobutu’s Kinshasa comes to MoMA
First US survey of Bodys Isek Kingelez shows how his sculptures addressed urban, social and economic concerns in Congo
NewsLooted art
Hamburg museum says its Benin bronzes could return to Nigeria—but not yet
Applied arts institution is showing the sculptures in a looted art exhibition
NewsLooting
Will the British Museum lend Nigeria the Benin bronzes?
Planned museum in Benin City offers safe environment for Western collections, the country says
News
Norval Foundation near Cape Town opens months after launch of city's Zeitz museum
Staff from Africa's first mega museum have defected to the new private institution
FeatureArt Dubai 2018
Is interest in African art on the rise in the Middle East?
An increased presence of African galleries at this edition of Art Dubai could signify a flourishing regional market
NewsArt market
Can Marrakech's 1-54 art fair step into the breach of city's cancelled biennial?
New fair brings contemporary African art home, but jury is out as to whether a commercial event can replace a government funded biennial
NewsArt market
Object lessons: a Surrealist ménage à trois, a Yoruba princess and a rare Futurist painting
Our pick of highlights from upcoming auctions
News
Marrakech museum boosts Africa’s burgeoning art scene
Macaal’s international launch coincides with city’s first 1-54 Contemporary African Art fair
NewsAfrican art
Paris's Dapper Foundation stalls talks over Cameroonian sculpture
Known as the Bangwa Queen, the object was either given to or looted by the German colonial agent Gustav Conrau
Comment
How Egypt is destroying Cairo and civil society
The pharaonic new museum will not make up for misguided policies
NewsAfrican art
Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac Museum in Paris is ready to return African art
Head of the ethnographic institution applauds President Macron’s pledge to hand back African cultural heritage
AnalysisThe Year In Review
From VR masterpieces to PR disasters: 2017's ups and downs
The Art Newspaper team assesses the art world's fortunes in a turbulent year
CommentRestitution
'We need to confront uncomfortable truths about European colonial appropriation'
Nicholas Thomas, professor of historical anthropology at Cambridge University, on the French President's statements about African artefacts
News
Marrakech bids to become hub for contemporary African art as museum plans relaunch alongside 1:54 fair
Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden will hold "international opening" in February
News
Musée Dapper, Paris museum specialising in African art, to shut up shop
High costs and low footfall put end to non-profit institution
News
Venture capitalist Jean Pigozzi plans foundation to house huge contemporary African art collection
Works from his 10,000-strong holdings are on show in extensive survey at Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris
NewsAuctions
Sotheby’s first Modern and contemporary African art sale set to be a record-breaker
London auction includes 60 artists from 14 countries across the continent, with several making their debut
NewsCollectors
Will former Frieze chairman Robert Devereux’s collection of art from Africa and the diaspora return to the continent?
As the first public show of the work opens in the UK, the former Virgin partner says he is looking for an “appropriate recipient” for donation
ArchiveExhibitions
Five millennia of African art and history go on show in Paris
Musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac tracks African roots and African routes in its upcoming exhibition
News
Contemporary African art to take centre stage at Fondation Louis Vuitton
Three major shows are planned for Paris museum next year, including one featuring collection of Jean Pigozzi
NewsHeritage
Culture fights back in Tunisia
Sufi-inspired exhibition aims to rescue Islam from the extremists
NewsCommercial galleries
Italy’s contemporary galleries are pioneering African art
Why support has come from an unlikely corner
NewsArt fairs
African fair benefits from the Venice effect
NewsCollectors
Lagos collector plans private museum to house 1,500 works
Retired stockbroker began buying in 1967
NewsCollectors
Images from the dark days of colonial rule
Collection of politically inspired works by artists from the Congo on the market
ArchiveAfrica
African collectors share the wealth as private museums proliferate
Theo Danjuma proposes a non-profit gallery in one of his father's hotels in Lagos. In South Africa, a $45m contemporary art museum is underway
ArchiveArt fairs
The South African art market is warming up as Joburg Art Fair takes off
Numbers swell at Africa’s biggest art event as its contemporary market matures
ArchiveNews
Unesco warns of fraud as unsanctioned authentication documents circulate
The warning states that certificates of authentication allowing imports of African cultural heritage are being forged
ArchiveTate
Tate effort to represent Africa
Tate expands globalised holdings
ArchiveArt market
Tribal art attracts Modern collectors
A new breed of buyer is crossing over from modern and contemporary art and acquiring the top pieces in every field
ArchiveBenin Bronzes
Benin mask withdrawn from Sotheby's auction
Cancellation follows accusations that the object was looted, although no formal claim has been made
ArchiveExhibitions
Jean Pigozzi's expansive collections in Congolese and Japanese art come together in new show
Jean Pigozzi convinces artist Carsten Höller to mix and match the French collector’s art in 'JapanCongo'
ArchiveAuctions
African and Oceanic collectors seek out finest pieces
Whilst lesser pieces go unsold
ArchiveBenin Bronzes
Is very rare Benin ivory mask for sale?
Last of rare Benin ivories in private hands is expected to go on the market
ArchiveInterviews
In search of purity out of Africa: Interview with collector Jean Pigozzi
“I feel that at the time of the Medici they had my kind of rapport with their artists”
ArchiveRestitution
US collector Brooke Allen returns relics sacred to Kenyan tribe
The works were part of an estate the collector inherited from her parents
ArchiveArt market
The annual tribal event 'Kaos' is growing in popularity and success
The Parisian event is going from strength to strength, underlining the weakening of BRUNEA, Brussels
ArchiveRestitution
Nelson Mandela “particularly proud" that the British Museum plans to open three new African galleries
His comments go against the current clamour for restitution
ArchiveRestitution
Don’t return artefacts to Nigeria, says expert
Leading expert on Nigerian antiquities warns that government and museum officials in the country are involved with the illicit trade of artefacts to the West
ArchiveArt market
Chirac’s Musée de l’Homme raises prices for primitive art
Fetish figures, tribal shields and masks command attention
CommentAfrican art market
Nigerian artist Ben Enwonwu’s greatest work is much loved by the art market—but it should mean more to art history too
Editions of the Anyanwu sculpture always attract attention at auction, but the legacy of the work and its maker are largely ignored both in his home country and the international art scene
Ayodeji Rotinwa