29th Oct, 2025 12:00
Modern & Contemporary African & Middle Eastern Art
15
CHARLY D'ALMEIDA (BENINESE B.1968)
L'ORACLE
signed and dated CHARLY 00 lower right; inscribed on the reverse
mixed media on canvas
109.5 x 87.5cm; 43 x 34 1/2in
111.5 x 89.5; 44 x 35 1/4in (framed)
Property of a Private Collector, Kent
Provenance
Acquired from the artist by the present owner
Painted in 2000, L’Oracle captures Charly D’Almeida’s fascination with Vodun cosmology and the unseen forces that shape human experience. Merging abstraction, and symbolic form, the work embodies his belief that the spiritual and material worlds are intertwined.
The present works were acquired directly from the artist by the current owner, whose connection to D’Almeida began through a journey of rediscovery. Having travelled across Ghana as a young volunteer with a UNESCO programme, the collector later revisited the region’s traditions during a period of personal transformation. His research into Benin’s Vodun practices led him to D’Almeida, whose art sought to reframe West African spirituality beyond Western misinterpretation. Meeting the artist and his family in Paris, and later attending a ceremony in Cotonou, he acquired L’Oracle and Traces—works that speak to revelation, resilience, and the enduring dialogue between body and spirit.
Sold for £800
L'ORACLE
signed and dated CHARLY 00 lower right; inscribed on the reverse
mixed media on canvas
109.5 x 87.5cm; 43 x 34 1/2in
111.5 x 89.5; 44 x 35 1/4in (framed)
Property of a Private Collector, Kent
Provenance
Acquired from the artist by the present owner
Painted in 2000, L’Oracle captures Charly D’Almeida’s fascination with Vodun cosmology and the unseen forces that shape human experience. Merging abstraction, and symbolic form, the work embodies his belief that the spiritual and material worlds are intertwined.
The present works were acquired directly from the artist by the current owner, whose connection to D’Almeida began through a journey of rediscovery. Having travelled across Ghana as a young volunteer with a UNESCO programme, the collector later revisited the region’s traditions during a period of personal transformation. His research into Benin’s Vodun practices led him to D’Almeida, whose art sought to reframe West African spirituality beyond Western misinterpretation. Meeting the artist and his family in Paris, and later attending a ceremony in Cotonou, he acquired L’Oracle and Traces—works that speak to revelation, resilience, and the enduring dialogue between body and spirit.
Auction: Modern & Contemporary African & Middle Eastern Art, 29th Oct, 2025
If you want to start collecting striking modern and contemporary art in a newly developing market, our sales are for you. Each spring and autumn, the Modern and Contemporary African and Middle Eastern Department hold tightly curated, live and online auctions. Expect to find Arab artists such as Tahia Halim, Seif Wanly, Mahmoud Said and Mohanna Durra. African artists featured have ranged from modern masters such as Ablade Glover, Sam Ntiro and Jacob Hendrik Pierneef, to contemporary artists George Lilanga, Jilali Gharbaoui, Famakan Magassa, Christano Mangovo, Oluwole Omofemi, Esther Mahlangu and Brett Seiler.
PUBLIC EXHIBITION:
Sunday 26th October: 12pm to 4pm
Monday 27th October: 10am to 8pm (Drinks 5-8pm)
Tuesday 28th October: 10am to 5pm
