Africa.com is happy to current this insightful evaluation of the modern African artwork market by Marelize van Zyl, CEO of Aspire Artwork. As the primary public sale home to actively promote undervalued Twentieth-century Black artists and current pan-African fashionable and modern artwork to world audiences, Aspire Artwork brings distinctive experience to understanding the exceptional development trajectory of African artwork. On this article, van Zyl examines how African artists are reshaping the worldwide artwork narrative, with ultra-contemporary works by African-born artists beneath 45 driving unprecedented market development. As collectors worldwide more and more acknowledge the cultural significance and funding potential of African artwork, van Zyl presents invaluable perspective on how digital platforms and worldwide collaborations are increasing the attain of African artists past the continent’s borders.
By Marelize van Zyl, CEO at Aspire Artwork
The artwork historic narrative, historically skewed in direction of Western views, has lengthy undervalued African artwork, limiting its world visibility and appreciation. This development, nonetheless, has modified as collectors from world wide more and more admire African artwork’s wealthy historical past and significance.
Whereas the modern African artwork market’s greenback worth stays small in comparison with different areas, it has skilled exceptional development prior to now decade with ultra-contemporary artwork items by African-born artists – beneath 45 years of age – accounting for the best gross sales quantity out there.
The worldwide artwork market is estimated to be price round $68 billion. London-based analysis agency ArtTactic says work by African artists presently exceeds a mixed annual worth of $72 million, greater than double its 2016 worth.
Based on Artnet’s 2025 Intelligence Report, postwar and modern artwork was probably the most profitable art-market class for the second 12 months operating in 2024, producing just below $4 billion. In 2024, the Artnet report revealed that gross sales surged by 46% between 2013 and 2023, peaking at $101.3 million in 2021. The postwar and modern style led gross sales in 2023, with the ultra-contemporary class, pushed by its affordability and on-line accessibility serving to to draw a youthful era of collectors, rising considerably lately.
Africa is the one area globally the place ultra-contemporary artwork – sometimes the smallest style by gross sales whole – has ever surpassed all different genres throughout the decade beneath overview.
Gross sales of ultra-contemporary works by African-born artists jumped from $16.2 million in 2020 to $40.6 million in 2021. It’s estimated that the African artwork market might attain round $1.5 billion this 12 months, pushed by a rising variety of collectors, patrons, buyers, worldwide artwork festivals and occasions excited about African artwork.
As curiosity in African modern artwork continues to rise, its market worth is predicted to see a corresponding improve, positioning it as a profitable funding alternative. Based on ArtTactic, demand for younger rising modern artists has remained sturdy, with their presence out there rising to the third highest degree since 2015.
Specialising in dealing with modern artwork from Southern Africa, Aspire Artwork was the primary public sale home since its inception to actively promote what it perceives as undervalued 20th-century Black artists and the primary to current a genuinely pan-African providing of contemporary and modern artwork to a worldwide viewers.
There isn’t a query that Africa has a lot to supply in the way in which of extremely collectible modern works.
An excellent instance is Ugandan artist Joseph Ntensibe whose large-scale canvases are thought to be uncommon and extremely collectable. Ntensibe has made it his life’s work to place the highlight on the rampant deforestation that has taken place in Uganda because of mining, warfare, drought, urbanisation and downright ignorance relating to the worth of what was as soon as the nation’s most prolific useful resource. Though Ntensibe’s shimmering forest scenes have been likened to Cezanne and Klimt for his or her luminosity, in actuality, this artist’s work is in a league of its personal. Aspire Artwork presently holds the document for the best achieved hammer value at public sale of a Ntensibe paintings. Earlier this 12 months, Aspire Artwork debuted the artist in South Africa and his spectacular Forest Scene (2020) offered for R924,200.
That is removed from the one document Aspire Artwork has achieved for modern African artwork. We maintain the South African and world public sale information for quite a few different artists together with a number of award-winning South African artist Nicholas Hlobo whose paintings, Intlambo yochulumanco, offered at an Aspire Artwork Public sale in 2021 for R1,479,400 and Sam Nhlengethwa, whose portfolio titled Glimpses of the Fifties and Sixties offered for R967,300 in 2019.
We additionally presently maintain the South African and world public sale information for South African modern artist Mary Sibande.
A multi-media artist, Sibande’s work interrogates the intersections of race, gender and labour in South Africa. Her work A Horrible Magnificence is Born – from the artist’s Lengthy Stay the Lifeless Queen collection – offered on the Aspire X Piasa public sale in 2020 for R341,400. This document was once more achieved in 2022 for Caught within the Rapture.
Partnerships and collaborations with worldwide public sale homes have prolonged the attain of African artwork from the 20th– and 21st centuries. Rising curiosity on this class noticed Aspire Artwork companion with Paris-based public sale home Piasa in 2020 to current a few of the finest examples of contemporary and modern African artwork, introducing a number of new African artists together with Uche Okeke (Nigeria), Gareth Nyandoro (Zimbabwe), Salah Elmur (Sudan), Michael Musyoka (Kenya), Marc Padeu (Cameroon), Peter Ngugi (Kenya), Cyrus Kabiru (Kenya) and Cristiano Mangovo Brás (Angola) to a worldwide viewers.
The resounding success of the primary public sale in Cape City in February 2020 was adopted by a second public sale in Paris in Could that very same 12 months.
Nonetheless, quick ahead 5 years, and it’s real-time on-line auctions that we imagine will most efficiently increase the attain of African modern artwork past the continent’s borders. Providing comfort, price financial savings and broader attain for each sellers and patrons, on-line auctions streamline the bidding course of and permit patrons to take part from anyplace on this planet so long as they’ve an web connection.
By bridging the hole between conventional African aesthetics and fashionable artwork practices whereas providing a wealthy range of expertise, modern African artists have an thrilling future forward.
For extra info on Aspire Artwork’s subsequent real-time on-line auctions and to view its present assortment of fastidiously curated modern African artworks, please go to www.aspireart.net
About Marelize van Zyl
Marelize van Zyl has served as CEO of Aspire Artwork since 2023 having joined the corporate as a Senior Specialist in 2017. With over 20 years of expertise within the artwork market, she has performed a pivotal function in Aspire Artwork’s strategic development, increasing its presence within the trade and introducing specialised gathering classes.
Van Zyl has curated a number of exhibitions in collaboration with outstanding South African and worldwide artists and is a revered voice in artwork publishing. She contributed as a researcher to Visible Century: South African Artwork in Context (2011) and has authored and edited quite a few articles and publications on artwork.
As an artwork specialist, she advises company, public, and personal collectors, and maintains shut ties with main galleries, curators, and establishments. She holds a Grasp’s diploma in Visible Research from Stellenbosch College, with analysis centered on the valuation of artworks at public sale, and BA Honours levels in Artwork Historical past (cum laude) and Visible Tradition Research from Stellenbosch College and the College of Pretoria, respectively.
About Aspire Artwork
Based in 2016, Aspire Artwork is an public sale and consulting enterprise specialising in fashionable and modern artwork from South Africa and the broader African continent. Its public sale providers are complemented by valuation and artwork advisory providers to non-public shoppers in addition to estates and private and non-private companies.
The Aspire Artwork crew consists of a dynamic group of specialists with in depth data, trade expertise and enthusiasm for African artwork. Shoppers are supplied with thorough artwork market perception, honest recommendation and development forecasting to make sure a richly complete and rewarding art-collecting expertise.
