Who owns African Art?

February 1, 2024

By Delela Ndela and Adenike Fapohunda

The ongoing conversation about the ownership of African art tends to center historical works and cultural artifacts. From the Benin Bronzes to the body of Sarah Bartmann, the relationship between African cultural production and the west has been characterized in great part by theft, violence, and the outright objectification of African bodies. In a political climate where redress and reparations for colonial crimes are becoming increasingly mainstream, it’s only natural that the return of stolen objects would be a leading demand of African progressives. However, this framing tends to ignore the ongoing reality of art in Africa, a reality in which Africa’s most prominent artists—from Wangechi Mutu to Adel Abdessemed—live, create, study, exhibit and sell work in western cultural capitals. This is a reality in which African cultural production comes to be owned by the cultured classes of the global north.

Cultural Imposition and the destruction of African ways of creating

Neo-colonialism, as described by Kwame Nkrumah, is the exertion of control by imperialist states over their nominal post colonies by economic, cultural and “humanitarian” means, rather than direct military intervention or indirect political control.^[1] In cultural studies, neo-colonialism is thought to take the form of cultural imposition, where an imperial state engages in culture (language, tradition, and art, for example) to assert its power over its colonial possessions.^[2] In African contexts, this has meant destroying indigenous cultural realities and asserting the superiority of western culture while excluding Africans from full participation in that culture.

Africans are taught that western aesthetic practices are superior to African ones, that the classics consist of Bronte and not Mariam Ba, and that movements in contemporary art such as cubism can be attributed only to Picasso and not the countless, nameless, African artists that he was inspired by.^[3]

As African post-coloniality has progressed, artists have challenged this cultural neo-colonialism, deploying a range of tools to do so: from Wa Thiong’o’s indigenisation of the novel to Mutu’s paintings, which explicitly take on the misrepresentation of women in culture. These artists form part of a movement to change how Africans are viewed in the world and view themselves, a welcome intervention after centuries of de-humanisation.

Economic realities: Art and Capital

The reality remains that capital is concentrated in the imperial core and, as Clement Greenberg said, art and capital are “attached by an umbilical cord of gold.”^[4] Artists need to eat and their work will go where the money they need to create flows freely. This is not the reality in the African continent, where only a handful of major cities can be said to support a thriving art market. As such the African art market stands in contrast to art markets in Europe or North America, where Paris, New York, Miami, Milan, London and so many more have built rich (if speculative) art markets. For many African artists to survive, they must access western markets.

There is also a popular sentiment that the time of western domination in Africa has ended. That Africans ought to banish the memories of colonialism and move on. In a 2014 speech, former US president Barack Obama stated, “Africa should stop blaming history for its economic problems.”^[5] Recently, French president Emmanuel Macron stated on a four nation tour of Africa that the era of French interference in Africa is over.^[6] Optimists would say that the repatriation of stolen objects points to a crucial turning point in Africa’s relationship with Europe, that it shows a willingness to apologize for past injustice and highlights an eagerness to engage in a process of healing. There is an acknowledgement that those items were taken by force; art then functions as a site of truth telling and mourning when other avenues of social expression have not yet caught up.

However, in this moment, while reflecting on the past, it is important to acknowledge that African art is experiencing a renaissance, with experiments abound across the continent. The western art world is experiencing this renaissance as its own rejuvenation, as western galleries and festivals increasingly elevate African artists—what they introduce is a spirit of possibility, of true belief. African art, so long diminished, treated as fodder for anthropology, is now a field for western consumption. As evidenced by musicians like Rema performing at the Ballon’dor and South African auction house Strauss & Co, reporting sales totalling 20.6 million dollars in 2022.^[7]

When you attend large art fairs, such as FNB Joburg Art Fair and ART X Lagos, it would seem that the era of displacement has come to an end. When you look closely, however, you must confront the discomfort in a physical space that displays the work of black African artists as represented by white European staff.

Notably, African art attains its highest sales figures beyond the continent, this is exemplified by South African painter Irma Stern, who consistently achieves top sales at African art auctions with her paintings averaging around $300,000 per artwork, Stern notably sold her most expensive painting and the second most expensive african artwork ever sold at auction to the Orientalist Museum in Doha for $4.8 million in 2011. As Africans, it’s crucial to reflect on the implications for our historical and cultural legacy when even our contemporary art is being removed from the continent.

Furthermore, notwithstanding the construction of galleries, such as the Zeitz Museum of Modern Art and the Zoma Art Center, pointing to growth in the art ecosystem in Africa, there is still an overwhelming lack of investment in art as a public good. In Lagos, one of the three biggest African art cities, there are no state-owned art galleries. In Johannesburg, another African city with a vibrant art scene, the Johannesburg Art Gallery was left in ruin for many years before it finally closed its doors due to rain damage. Until recently, it was almost impossible to have a sustainable career from art on the continent. Universities by and large, with the exception of South Africa, do not offer degrees in curation or art history.

Perhaps introspection is necessary on how Africans can preserve ownership of artistic capital at a time where there is such a large demand for the work produced. When an artist based in Africa signs an agreement with an art gallery to represent them, to promote their work, is it their responsibility to ensure that the benefits of such a contract flow back to their communities? When the team that works with this artist is based in the west, does their art become yet another site for extraction, where the profits made from artists on the continent are taken to the west?

African Art Renaissance: A Complete Shift

Some argue that to ensure sustainable art practices, young Africans must be taught to invest in art and collect art. Some galleries have introduced lay-bys for pieces where collectors can pay off their art over extended periods of time. However, when artists gain western acclaim, the price of their pieces are further inflated, making it impossible for people in their countries of origin to collect.

Over and above, this is the issue of documentation. It becomes pertinent to see the work that is being created as a link in the thread of history. How will contemporary work will be remembered if Africa does not have the space to store the work that will come to define this cultural zeitgeist?

A partial answer to these questions must include reflection by all parties. It becomes important to discuss how to look at the cultural relationships between countries that were colonized and those that colonized. How can a community reimage a global cultural exchange in a manner that upholds the dignity of the art, people and communities that influenced its creation?

Perhaps the accord signed by the German government and Nigeria’s Commission for Museums and Monuments might allow us to imagine a different future. It is noteworthy that this goes further than simply laying out the procedure for the return of artifacts. Instead, the accord creates the framework for joint projects in archaeology, education, and museum infrastructure that will be jointly beneficial and give back to communities in Benin City, from where the bronzes come.

Conclusion

Notwithstanding the role that Europe and North America have played in decimating Africa’s cultural heritage, it does not suffice to look to the west to carry all the responsibility in resolving the issues faced in preserving Africa’s cultural heritage. The ongoing project of restoring and preserving African art may should consider the words of Ousmane Sembene: “My future does not depend on Europe… Why be a sunflower and turn to the sun, I myself am the sun.” It is the responsibility of Africans and our governments to buy, preserve and invest in the arts and recognize art as a social good that contributes to our collective wellbeing.

Suggested Readings:

1. Nɢᴜ̃ɢɪ̃ ᴡᴀ Tʜɪᴏɴɢ’ᴏ, Pᴇɴᴘᴏɪɴᴛs, Gᴜɴᴘᴏɪɴᴛs, ᴀɴᴅ Dʀᴇᴀᴍs (1998).
2. Aʟɪᴄᴇ Pʀᴏᴄᴛᴇʀ, Tʜᴇ Wʜᴏʟᴇ Pɪᴄᴛᴜʀᴇ: Tʜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏɴɪᴀʟ Sᴛᴏʀʏ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ Aʀᴛ ɪɴ Oᴜʀ Mᴜsᴇᴜᴍs & Wʜʏ Wᴇ Nᴇᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ Tᴀʟᴋ Aʙᴏᴜᴛ Iᴛ (2020).
3. Kᴡᴀᴍᴇ Nᴋʀᴜᴍᴀʜ, Nᴇᴏ-Cᴏʟᴏɴɪᴀʟɪsᴍ : Tʜᴇ Lᴀsᴛ Sᴛᴀɢᴇ ᴏғ Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ (1965).
4. Rᴏsᴀʟɪɴᴅ Mᴏʀʀɪs, Cᴀɴ ᴛʜᴇ Sᴜʙᴀʟᴛᴇʀɴ Sᴘᴇᴀᴋ?: Rᴇғʟᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴs ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ Hɪsᴛᴏʀʏ ᴏғ ᴀɴ Iᴅᴇᴀ (2010).

About the Authors

Delela Ndlela is an essayist in Johannesburg.

Adenike Fapohunda is a writer and lawyer based in Johannesburg.

Sources:

1. Kᴡᴀᴍᴇ Nᴋʀᴜᴍᴀʜ, Introduction, in Nᴇᴏ-Cᴏʟᴏɴɪᴀʟɪsᴍ : Tʜᴇ Lᴀsᴛ Sᴛᴀɢᴇ ᴏғ Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ (1965). ↑
2. Ramón Grosfoguel, The Epistemic Decolonial Turn: Beyond Political-Economy Paradigms, 21 Cᴜʟᴛᴜʀᴀʟ Sᴛᴜᴅɪᴇs 211 (2007), 10.1080/09502380601162514. ↑
3. Lisa Modiano, How Much Does Picasso Owe to African Art?, Tʜᴇ Cᴏʟʟᴇᴄᴛᴏʀ (Apr. 30, 2022), https://www.thecollector.com/picasso-and-african-art/. ↑
4. Clement Greenberg, Avant-Garde and Kitsch, in Aʀᴛ ᴀɴᴅ Cᴜʟᴛᴜʀᴇ (1965). ↑
5. Maeve Shearlaw, ‘Africa Should Stop Blaming History for Its Economic Problems’ – Is Obama Right?, Tʜᴇ Gᴜᴀʀᴅɪᴀɴ (July 30, 2014), https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/30/-sp-obama-africa-colonial-excuses-poll. ↑
6. Macron Says Era of French Interference in Africa is ‘Over’, Aʟ Jᴀᴢᴇᴇʀᴀ (Mar. 2, 2023), https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/2/macron-says-era-of-french-interference-in-africa-is-over. ↑
7. Anny Shaw, Global Demand for African Art Brings Near-Record Year for South African Auction House Despite ‘Much Higher Degrees of Uncertainty’, Tʜᴇ Aʀᴛ Nᴇᴡsᴘᴀᴘᴇʀ (Jan. 27, 2023), https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/01/27/global-demand-for-african-art-brings-near-record-year-for-south-african-auction-house-despite-much-higher-degrees-of-uncertainty. ↑