The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
ARTS | AGENCIES | US-based Ethiopian artist, Julie Mehretu, has made an indelible mark in the contemporary African art scene by setting a new auction record. Her abstract painting, ‘Walkers With the Dawn and Morning,’ was sold for a staggering $10.7 million at a Sotheby’s auction in New York, making it the highest sale price for a work by an African-born artist.
The auction saw two bidders competing for the piece with the price gradually edging higher and higher. It went for $9.5m, but the final cost, once fees are added, took it to the record-breaking sum of $10.7m. Mehretu also held the previous record of $9.3m, which was set in October.
The painting, a medley of ink and acrylic on canvas, reflects Mehretu’s distinctive style. It is a fusion of architectural drawing, bright vectors, and calligraphic elements, inspired by a Langston Hughes poem from the 1920s. This particular piece was created as part of an exhibition responding to Hurricane Katrina’s impact on New Orleans in 2005.
The success of the sale is a testament to the burgeoning market interest in contemporary African art and abstract works. Mehretu’s influence extends beyond the art world. The 52-year old artist, who moved to the U.S. in 1977 amid political turmoil in Ethiopia. She received a B.A. from Kalamazoo College, Michigan, studied at the University Cheik Anta Diop, Dakar Senegal, and received a Master’s of Fine Art with honors from The Rhode Island School of Design in 1997. She has since become one of the most prominent names in the fast-growing contemporary African art world.
According to a brief bio by the Marian Goodman Gallery, Mehretu’ s work is informed by a multitude of sources including politics, literature and music. Most recently her paintings have incorporated photographic images from broadcast media which depict conflict, injustice, and social unrest. These graphic images act as intellectual and compositional points of departure; ultimately occluded on the canvas, they remain as a phantom presence in the highly abstracted gestural completed works.
She was chosen to design the next BMW Art Car, a prestigious assignment that will be showcased during the 24 Hours of Le Mans race.
The sale of ‘Walkers With the Dawn and Morning’ has outdone Mehretu’s previous record of $9.3 million, underscoring the strength and growth of the contemporary African art market.
“We are moving beyond that initial phase to something more discerning”, Hannah O’Leary, head of Sotheby’s modern and contemporary African art department told the Art Newspaper last month.
