A Painting by Yusuf Grillo Sets a New World Record Price at Auction

Detail of The Seventh Knot, a portray by Yusuf Grillo sets a new environment record rate at auction. Impression: Bonhams

The Seventh Knot, a portray by Yusuf Grillo sets a new world document price at auction, advertising for £403,500.

BY ARTCENTRON

LONDON-The Seventh Knot (1969), an oil on board portray by Yusuf Adebayo Cameron Grillo (Nigerian, 1934–2021), was marketed for £403,500 at Bonhams’ Modern-day & Contemporary African Artwork sale in London. The painting exceeded its pre-sale estimate of £150,00–200,000 and established a new world history price for a operate by the famed Nigerian artist, who was a instructor to lots of leading Nigerian artists right now.

Grillo was 1 of the important customers of the Zaria Art Modern society, which advocated for the incorporation of pre-colonial and Western art motifs in modern day West African artwork. They identified as the strategy ‘natural synthesis,’ and it directed the trajectory of what article-colonial African artwork appears like nowadays.

The Seventh Knot is an important case in point of Grillo’s oeuvre. It shows geometrical sorts and shapes that had been important features of Grillo’s stained-glass art. But a lot more importantly, it shows Grillo’s mastery of composition and color. The portray functions a Yoruba woman elevating both equally arms powering her head in what appears to be an exertion to repair her gele. Working with the color scheme of blue, purple, and environmentally friendly, the artist captures the woman’s hard work to compose herself as she prepares for an outing. The fragile folds of the woman’s buba and her elevated arms type double triangles that body her encounter, revealing a meditative expression. The Seventh Knot also showcases Grillo’s loyalty to his Yoruba culture and heritage which was a main source of affect for several of his paintings.

Youthful Pondo Person by Irma Stern (South African, 1894–1966)

Younger Pondo Guy by Irma Stern (South African, 1894–1966) also produced an amazing outing at the auction. It offered for £327,900. Her Girl With Jug obtained £176,700 versus a pre-sale estimate of £30,000–50,000. The desire for Irma Stern’s paintings has been on the rise for extra than a ten years and Bonhams has been fulfilling that have to have. In the very last ten years, the auction household has sold some essential paintings by the artist. In 2011, for occasion, it offered Arab Priest (1945), by the artist, for £3 million, making this the planet auction record for a portray by her and the most useful South African painting ever offered at auction.

Other highlights of the sale provided:

• Irma Stern (South African, 1894-1966), ‘Palm Trees’, Zanzibar within just artist’s initial Zanzibar frame. Sold for £290,100.
• Gerard Sekoto (South African, 1913-1993), Donkeys. Bought for £277,500.
• Benedict Chukwukadibia Enwonwu M.B.E (Nigerian, 1917-1994), Olokun Dancers. Marketed for £239,700.
• Yusuf Adebayo Cameron Grillo, (Nigerian, 1934-2021), Blind Minstrel. Bought for £189,300.
• Prof. Uche Okeke (Nigerian, 1933-2016), Madonna & Child, the Manger. Sold for £151,500. A new world history for the artist.
• Maggie (Maria Magdalena) Laubser (South African, 1886-1973), Indian Female. Offered for £151,500.
• El Anatsui (Ghanaian, born 1944), ‘Talakawa’, 120 x 50 x 40cm (47 1/4 x 19 11/16 x 15 3/4in). Sold for £75,900.

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