Auction house, Arthouse Contemporary, has made a record sale of NGN 109,212,500 at the 19th edition of its auction of Modern and Contemporary Art on November 27, 2017 held at the Kia Showroom, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria.
Featuring 99 lots of leading master works from the modern period alongside cutting-edge contemporary art from the region’s most celebrated artists.
The top sale of the evening was Ben Enwonwu’s Dance of the Canewood, an oil on canvas from 1981. This was followed by Ben Enwonwu’s Yoruba Man, a gouache on paper from 1954, that sold for NGN 8,625,000.
Other highlights of the auction included Peju Alatise’s Bimpe and Her Family Portrait, a mixed media on board, which sold for NGN 5,405,000, while Alatise’s Captain Red Tape sold for NGN 4,600,000. Ben Osawe’s bronze sculpture, Benin Queen, sold for N4,025,000, and Ben Enwonwu’s Remi, a 1977 fibre sculpture, sold for N4,025,000.
A surprise lot of the night was Chike Obeagu’s Life Performance, a 2017 mixed media on collage, which sold for N5,060,000, almost three times its high estimate.
The auction also included four charity lots in support of the Arthouse Foundation, a non-profit artist residency programme in Lagos, which raised a total of N1,290,000. The proceeds from the charity lots will go directly to supporting the Arthouse Foundation’s annual artist residencies.
Founded in 2007, Arthouse Contemporary is an international auction house that specialises in modern and contemporary art from West Africa. With auctions held twice a year in Lagos, Arthouse Contemporary aims to create awareness of the scope of contemporary art in the region, encourage international recognition towards its talented artists, and strengthen the economy of its art market.
Arthouse Contemporary is generously supported by Kia Motors and Veuve Clicquot, with The Guardian as the official media partner.
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