A total of N109,212,500 was realised at the just-concluded 19th edition of Arthouse’s auction of modern and contemporary art, which held in Lagos.
Top of the sale were Ben Enwonwu’s 1981 Dance of the Canewood, an oil on canvas, and Ben Enwonwu’s Yoruba Man, (1954) gouache on paper that sold for N8,625,000.
It featured 99 lots of leading masters’ works from the modern period alongside cutting-edge contemporary art from the region’s most-celebrated artists.
Other highlights of the auction included Peju Alatise’s Bimpe and Her Family Portrait, a mixed media on board, which sold for N5,405,000 and Peju Alatise’s Captain Red Tape sold for N4,600,000. Ben Osawe’s bronze sculpture, Benin Queen, also sold for N4,025,000 while Ben Enwonwu’s Remi a 1977 fibre sculpture sold for N4,025,000.
However, the surprise piece at the auction was Chike Obeagu’s Life Performance, a 2017 mixed media on collage, which sold for N5,060,000, almost three times its estimate.
The auction also included four charity lots in support of the Arthouse Foundation, a non-profit artist residency programme in Lagos, which raised N1,290,000. The proceeds from the charity lots will go directly to supporting the Arthouse Foundation’s annual artist residencies.