Africa.com is happy to current this insightful evaluation of the up to date 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 trendy and up to date artwork to international audiences, Aspire Artwork brings distinctive experience to understanding the outstanding progress 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 underneath 45 driving unprecedented market progress. As collectors worldwide more and more acknowledge the cultural significance and funding potential of African artwork, van Zyl presents priceless 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 the direction of Western views, has lengthy undervalued African artwork, limiting its international visibility and appreciation. This development, nonetheless, has modified as collectors from around the globe more and more recognize African artwork’s wealthy historical past and significance.
Whereas the up to date African artwork market’s greenback worth stays small in comparison with different areas, it has skilled outstanding progress previously decade with ultra-contemporary artwork items by African-born artists – underneath 45 years of age – accounting for the best gross sales quantity available in the market.
The worldwide artwork market is estimated to be value round $68 billion. London-based analysis agency ArtTactic says work by African artists at present exceeds a mixed annual worth of $72 million, greater than double its 2016 worth.
Based on Artnet’s 2025 Intelligence Report, postwar and up to date artwork was probably the most profitable art-market class for the second yr operating in 2024, producing slightly 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 up to date 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 in recent times.
Africa is the one area globally the place ultra-contemporary artwork – sometimes the smallest style by gross sales complete – has ever surpassed all different genres in the course of the decade underneath evaluate.
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 yr, pushed by a rising variety of collectors, patrons, buyers, worldwide artwork festivals and occasions curious about African artwork.
As curiosity in African up to date 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 up to date artists has remained robust, with their presence available in the market rising to the third highest degree since 2015.
Specialising in dealing with up to date artwork from Southern Africa, Aspire Artwork was the primary public sale home since its inception to actively promote what it perceives as undervalued Twentieth-century Black artists and the primary to current a genuinely pan-African providing of recent and up to date artwork to a world viewers.
There isn’t any query that Africa has a lot to supply in the way in which of extremely collectible up to date 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 on account of mining, warfare, drought, urbanisation and downright ignorance concerning 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 at present holds the file for the best achieved hammer value at public sale of a Ntensibe paintings. Earlier this yr, Aspire Artwork debuted the artist in South Africa and his spectacular Forest Scene (2020) offered for R924,200.
That is removed from the one file Aspire Artwork has achieved for up to date 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 at present maintain the South African and world public sale information for South African up to date 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 Dwell the Useless Queen sequence – offered on the Aspire X Piasa public sale in 2020 for R341,400. This file 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 Twentieth– and twenty first centuries. Rising curiosity on this class noticed Aspire Artwork accomplice with Paris-based public sale home Piasa in 2020 to current among the greatest examples of recent and up to date 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 world 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 yr.
Nonetheless, quick ahead 5 years, and it’s real-time on-line auctions that we consider will most efficiently broaden the attain of African up to date artwork past the continent’s borders. Providing comfort, value 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 wherever on the earth so long as they’ve an web connection.
By bridging the hole between conventional African aesthetics and trendy artwork practices whereas providing a wealthy range of expertise, up to date 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 up to date African artworks, please go to www.aspireart.internet
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 position in Aspire Artwork’s strategic progress, 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 trendy and up to date artwork from South Africa and the broader African continent. Its public sale companies are complemented by valuation and artwork advisory companies to personal shoppers in addition to estates and private and non-private firms.
The Aspire Artwork crew consists of a dynamic group of specialists with in depth data, trade expertise and enthusiasm for African artwork. Purchasers are supplied with thorough artwork market perception, truthful recommendation and development forecasting to make sure a richly complete and rewarding art-collecting expertise.
