3rd Jun, 2026 12:00
Live Sale: Modern & Contemporary African and Middle Eastern Art, June 2026
4
KELECHI NWANERI (NIGERIAN B.1994)
SISTERS
signed and dated Kelechi Nwaneri / 2021 lower right
mixed media on canvas
114.3 x 87cm; 45 x 34 1/4in
unframed
Property of a Private Collector, Maryland
Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist
Kelechi Nwaneri is one of the most compelling voices to emerge from the generation of Nigerian artists who have come to international prominence since the early 2020s. Born in Lagos in 1994 and self-taught, he turned to visual art while studying at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and has since exhibited internationally, with works entering the Arthur Lewis Collection, the Africa First Collection, and the Embassy of Spain in Abuja.
His practice weaves indigenous African ideographic script into dreamlike, psychologically charged compositions that engage with mental health, social values, and the textures of contemporary Nigerian life; an art at once deeply local in its cultural references and entirely international in its ambitions. Sisters dates from the period immediately preceding his most significant international recognition, and is offered here alongside a companion work by the same hand.
SISTERS
signed and dated Kelechi Nwaneri / 2021 lower right
mixed media on canvas
114.3 x 87cm; 45 x 34 1/4in
unframed
Property of a Private Collector, Maryland
Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist
Kelechi Nwaneri is one of the most compelling voices to emerge from the generation of Nigerian artists who have come to international prominence since the early 2020s. Born in Lagos in 1994 and self-taught, he turned to visual art while studying at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and has since exhibited internationally, with works entering the Arthur Lewis Collection, the Africa First Collection, and the Embassy of Spain in Abuja.
His practice weaves indigenous African ideographic script into dreamlike, psychologically charged compositions that engage with mental health, social values, and the textures of contemporary Nigerian life; an art at once deeply local in its cultural references and entirely international in its ambitions. Sisters dates from the period immediately preceding his most significant international recognition, and is offered here alongside a companion work by the same hand.
Auction: Live Sale: Modern & Contemporary African and Middle Eastern Art, June 2026, 3rd Jun, 2026
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 Rabab Nemr, Ahmed Farid, Seif Wanly and Fateh Moudarres. 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 31st May: 12pm to 4pm
Monday 1st June: 10am to 8.30pm (Drinks 6-8.30pm)
Tuesday 2nd June: 10am to 5pm
