In France, the 2001 reform of the art market significantly changed the situation for French auction houses with the entry of major international houses, the concentration of companies, and the creation of new ones. This has revitalized a French market which has finally become mature, benefiting from a variety of expertise, a huge reserve of art objects, and an influx of savvy collectors and aspiring buyers. Thus, several French auction houses started to organised sales of contemporary African art in addition to the existing modern African art ones.

Piasa

Founded in 1996 in the hearth of Paris, Piasa is one of the main French players in the auction market. The auction house has shaped and defined its unique identity through its cutting edge selections in art and design. With representatives in France and abroad, its auctions attract a variety of collectors from around the world. Since 2016, Piasa has hosted contemporary African art auctions, highlighting the broad panorama of the continent’s artistic scene. In November 2019, the auction house doubled its estimate totaling €1.43 million for nearly 100 lots, including paintings by Aida Muluneh, Aboudia, Barthélémy Toguo, and Marc Padeu. Since 2020, Piasa organizes these auctions twice a year in partnership with Johannesburg-based Aspire Art Auctions, illustrating the solidity of its international networks. This month, Piasa will partner with the Milan-based Moleskine Foundation for a charity sale, featuring works by Mwangi Hutter, Donna Kukama, and Andrew Tshabangu amongst others.

Artcurial

Artcurial was founded in 2002 in Paris, when the French auction market was opening up to competition. The company quickly became the largest French auction house, offering works of art from various specialties including visual art, luxury items, and motorcars. With sales taking place mainly in Paris, Monaco, and Marrakech, the auction house achieves an increasing volume of sales every year. In 2010, Artcurial hosted its first sale dedicated to contemporary African art, with 65 artists from Africa and its diaspora. In 2017, the auction house held sales both in Paris and Marrakech, breaking records for some artists including Malick Sidibé, Omar Victor Diop, Abdoulaye Konaté, and Seydou Keïta. Since then, Artcurial holds two sales there every year, with the aim of presenting high-quality works by established artists and by fresh talent. This year, Artcurial partnered with Aspire to organize an online auction of contemporary African art, and brought a turnover of €1.24 million.

Cornette de Saint Cyr

Pierre Cornette de Saint Cyr founded his eponymous auction house in 1973. A pioneer in the French art market, he started by organizing specialized sales devoted to photography, design, and advertising objects. Today, the auction house is structured around multiple departments including contemporary art, decorative arts, collectible jewellery, and fashion design among others. Before organizing sales dedicated only to contemporary African art, Cornette de Saint Cyr have added works from African artists in sales of contemporary art and photography collections. In 2017, the auction house hosted a sale of photography including works from Seidou Keita and Malick Sidibé. That year, there were also auctions of contemporary art which includes several works of contemporary African artists such as William Kentridge, Cheri Samba, Dominique Zinkpé, and Moké. The auction house also organised a recurrent sale of modern African art containing sculptures, masks, and objects from African countries.