This piece is up there in the blue chip of African Masks.
A 16ā Guro mask from CĆ“te dāIvoire which passed through some serious collections over the years
including Armand Fernandezā is now heading to Christieās auction with a bid estimate climbing toward $2 - 3 million. For those who just entered the party yes, that is two to three MILLION for 16 inches of wood, meanwhile Iām over here trying to convince myself maybe my prices are too high. But honestlyā¦ looking at this mask, the proportions feel futuristic even though the piece carries generations of history. This is the type of work that reminds me African art was never stuck in the past. It still feels ahead of us and of course, provenance is the ultimate game changer.. Art is subjective guys, enjoy the show..
Constantin Brancusiās DanaĆÆde is estimated at $100 million at @christiesinc New York and the sale is actually tomorrow, May 18, 2026.
Before modernism had a name, African sculptors had mastered reduction, spiritual geometry, silence, and abstraction.
DanaĆÆde carries that language.
The closed eyes.āØThe purification of the face into essence.āØThe spiritual curve over realism.āØThe removal of unnecessary detail to reveal presence instead of appearance.
You can feel the direct dialogue with Fang reliquary figures from Gabon and Cameroon, and the sacred sculptural traditions of the Kota peoples whose forms reduced humanity into pure spiritual architecture.
Brancusi did not invent abstraction.āØHe encountered Africa.
What Europe later celebrated as āavant-gardeā had already existed for centuries in African ceremonial objects, masks, and guardian figures carved by unnamed masters whose influence reshaped modern art forever.
This is why African art must be recognized for its philosophy, its design, and known as foundation of modern sculpture itself.
My first Four Headed Lega Mask in polished cast aluminum.. A study in transformation, scale, and romanticizing ancestral form
I envision to scale this work to 15 feet tall someday .š¤·š¾āāļø.
Stay tuned -
#KingParisGallery
THE FLOWERS ARE BLOOMING š¼ (edition of 8)
Archival Mixed-Media Print on 305 gsm Moab Juniper Baryta Rag Fine Art Paper Oil Pastels and Swarovski Crystals
Unframed Dimensions
36 x 24 in
91.44 x 60.96 cm
Framed Dimensions
37.75 x 28 in
95.89 x 71.12 cm
Year
2026
Available at kingparisstudio.com #KingParis
@youngparis steps in as Artistic Director of Montreals biggest African night ! @balafrikana
June 27, 2026 ~ Save the Date. #YoungParis #BalAfrikana #ccam #Montreal
