By Chima Ezeilo

African art is arguably the most diverse on earth — and this is where much of its value lies. It also remains the least represented. Africa boasts a kaleidoscope of culture and colour, and her people represent a polarity of vibrant artistic expression. Historians are divided about classifying African art within a single category. Until fairly recently, the term was used to categorise art from sub-Saharan Africa. Now the trend is towards reclassifying African art as encompassing all material from within the geographical boundaries of the continent.

Nairobi’s Eastlands-based artists. Photo: Lenny Taabu/Standard

One can even go further to suggest that the term now includes art of African origin in the worldwide Diaspora. Over time, historians have agreed that it makes little sense to draw divisions between differing African cultures when it is this diversity that commands celebration.

Punitive expedition

Art in Africa dates back over 6,000 years to rock carvings in the Sahara. The earliest known sub-Saharan sculptures date back to 500BC and are attributed to the Nok culture of Nigeria although art of ancient Egypt stretches beyond 3,000BC. The Benin Bronzes — a collection of royal brass plaques — played a large part in establishing an appreciation in the West for African art and culture, despite being violently seized in the famous punitive British expedition of 1897.

One indication of Africa’s enduring success as a producer of art is the fact that it has continued to influence the greats of the Western canon. It is well known that Pablo Picasso’s work was deeply inspired by the Benin Bronzes. It is even said that African masks like the Queen Idia of Benin inspired his experiments with Cubism, which in turn launched the mainstream of modern art. In fact, artists like Henri Matisse, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin and Amedeo Modigliani all derived inspiration from African art. These transformational artists saw an expressive power within African art. Furthermore, the study of African art at the beginning of the 20th century enabled mass interest in abstraction, in emotive expression and in manipulation of form previously unseen in the West. This African influence signalled a global change in the status of visual art. Art progressed from the aesthetic into the realm of philosophy, meaning a more profound outlook for contemporary art. With this, you would expect a strong African presence in international art markets. Unfortunately the reverse is the case because of a lack of money and infrastructure on the continent. But this does not mean that the art is no good. If the continent can get these technical issues in order, there is much to gain. Despite the current recession, the two biggest auction houses — Christie’s and Sotheby’s — sold $6 billion worth of art in the first six months of last year alone. These are not small sums. China, due to her incredible economic growth, has recently overtaken France as the third biggest investment hub for the arts. India is following China’s lead largely due to her renewed economic strength.

Prominent artists

There is also an influx of wealthy art investors trying to outdo each other on the global art stage. Africa should have a bite of the cherry too.

Things are heading in that direction.

There have been a number of events in recent years all geared at celebrating and promoting the art of Africa. Events like Africa Remix, the Venice Biennale, the Luanda Trienniel and even the Pan African Circle of Artists have featured scores of prominent African curators, scholars and artists like Okwui Enwezor, Simon Njami, Olu Oguibe, Yinka Shonibare, William Kentridge, Chris Ofili, El Anatsui and Nike Davies-Okundaye to name just a few.

Many of these artists’ works grace major art galleries like Tate Modern in London, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo. So it can be argued that African art has arrived in high places. But does this translate into prime investment?

Maybe not directly but the trends suggest great strides. Ghanaian El Anatsui is one of the most exciting African artists alive today with numerous works gracing the walls of galleries, museums and private collections worldwide.

Things are also stirring on the continent itself where a number of international auction houses have expressed an interest in plying their trade. All this paves the way for art markets beyond the continent to embrace the boundless talent prevalent in Africa today.

—The writer (www.kambani.com) is the director of Kambani Arts — an organisation dedicated to promoting African artists around the world.