‘We started the collection with Paul Ahyi, deeply moved by his seductive pastel paintings of African women, full of pride and vibrant colors. His sculptures are about people, Africa, and its cultures. He has taught many artists, such as Sadikou Oukpedjo, who has become part of the Centre Pompidou’s collection. Our decisions about purchasing are based on affect – on an emotion, a connection with the work. Although we began by collecting works by African artists, we very quickly understood that African art eludes geographies, notably because of the importance of the diasporas and of the African influences in the artists’ work!
‘When it comes to private collections, our favorite reference is that of the Congolese collector Sindika Dokolo. We saw “IncarNations: African Art as Philosophy”, an exhibition he staged with the South African artist and curator Kendell Geers [at the Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, in 2019]. They were pioneers in exhibiting yesterday’s classical African art with today’s contemporary African art. The exhibition was visionary and featured innovative scenography that added a lot of energy to the works. “IncarNations” emphasized that the appreciation of African art should not be based solely on the works’ aesthetic quality, but rather on their spiritual context and symbolic aspects.
‘Dokolo based his collection on the idea that we need to rethink the Western view of African art by focusing on the African perspective. Avant-garde European artists such as Picasso were influenced by the appearance of masks, but “IncarNations” highlighted the view from behind the mask, in other words the perspective of the wearer – since masks were made to be worn, including for dancing, in a wider social context.
‘The Centre Pompidou was one of the first institutions to organize exhibitions dedicated to the African art scene in France. The museum’s Cercle International – Afrique [CI – Afrique], which we founded in 2019, is the only acquisitions committee in France dedicated to enriching and promoting Modern and contemporary collections of artists from the continent. The curators propose potential acquisitions to us. For us, being at the heart of their reflection, understanding their research, and feeding off their expertise is a fascinating experience. In practical terms, we, the collectors, help them to fund and bring to fruition high-impact projects for the collection. For 2022, the museum has expressed its desire to strengthen the presence and visibility of the African scene in curatorial projects and the collection, opening up to the diasporas – particularly Afro-descendants. This is precisely the direction we wanted to take!
‘We support artists by buying their work, helping them access residencies, and putting them in touch with galleries to help them grow. Supporting artists also means introducing them to curators or discovering artists recommended by curators. The art historian’s view, away from the market, is always rich in meaning. We recently supported the Villa Medici [in Rome] by donating a 19th-century painting by Alfred de Curzon representing the [building’s] Turkish Room, a particularly important work for the villa. We hope to have paved the way for further donations for and initiatives at this institution that is so important for artists.
‘We have discovered many artists in art schools. In France there are also foundations like Sisley-d’Ornano and Pernod Ricard, which support the emerging art scene through their prizes. We have been members of their selection committees. There is also Reiffers Art Initiatives, which champions young artists and cultural diversity. We also keep a keen eye on residencies, notably Black Rock in Dakar, Senegal, founded by the American painter Kehinde Wiley, which gives artists a lot of exposure. Some galleries in Paris, such as Thaddaeus Ropac and Galerie Templon, represent leading figures and up-and-coming talent. We have discovered exceptional artists such as Rachel Jones and ROBIN KID a.k.a. THE KID. There is also the Mariane Ibrahim gallery, which juxtaposes emerging artists, such as Shannon T Lewis or Ian Mwesiga, with established contemporary artists like Amoako Boafo, Raphaël Barontini or Yukimasa Ida. Additionally, some fairs offer a pool of new artists and galleries, such as 1-54, Untitled, Art X, Nada, Independent, and AKAA.
‘Another vector is the digital path, including the newly launched Docent app which has allowed us to discover artists through personalized recommendations based on our tastes. The major evolution in the art market has indeed been digital. It has broken down geographical boundaries. This is one of the reasons we have broadened the horizon of our collection. The drawback is that the waiting lists for the works we are interested in have become commonplace. Apart from globalization, what we have noticed is the emergence of much younger collectors. We often discuss contemporary art with our children and their older friends, who allocate part of their first salaries to contemporary art acquisitions. We are pleasantly surprised by the place of the African scene in their purchases!
‘In recent years, the links between patrons and institutions have become stronger. With the decline in public funding, philanthropy is becoming essential for the acquisition, research, publication, and dissemination of knowledge. CI – Afrique members have made it possible to acquire major works by artists such as James Barnor or Yinka Shonibare.
‘Currently we find ourselves inspired by Wiley’s portraits of Black people in the postures and settings of classical masterpieces. With his artist residency in Dakar and soon in Lagos, he directs attention toward Africa while also offering great opportunities to artists. We are also inspired by Geers, who draws his own inspiration from Africa by subverting images, objects, and words to create works that expose the appropriation and subjugation of Africa. He creates a form of expression that goes beyond words. We appreciate the commitment of the Dutch neo-Pop artist ROBIN KID, too, although his form of expression is fundamentally different. THE KID draws on the social, political, and cultural dialectics of our time to provocatively denounce society’s excesses. The perfect aesthetics of his work accentuate the message all the more.
‘We are attracted to monumental artworks, particularly those of Oscar Murillo and Kennedy Yanko. We are also interested in politically engaged artists as well as in those who have developed their own artistic language and practice. We are thinking of Boafo and his painting technique, which brings out a bright light from black skin, of the African American Ludovic Nkoth, who offers a very personal vision of Africa through family portraits that depict African culture and traditions, and of Alexandre Lenoir, whose paintings are rich in nuances and colors drawn from the West Indies. Finally, we support the young art scene [by collecting pieces by artists] such as Jake Troyli, who depicts himself in satirical situations by using a visual vocabulary borrowed from comic strips, and the British artist Pam Evelyn, whose abstract works incorporate a representation and sensitivity very close to landscape art. Also, the young French artist Dora Jeridi has dazzled us with the maturity and depth of her work.’
Ingrid Luquet-Gad is an art critic and PhD student based in Paris. She is responsible for the art section of Les Inrockuptibles, a member of the editorial board of Spike art magazine and a correspondent for Flash Art magazine.
Header : Raphaël Barontini, Au Bal des Grands Fonds, 2022. Courtesy of the Artist and Mariane Ibrahim.