“Art has the power to challenge customs and induce thought,” these words are not from Western art scholars or wealthy American sculptors, but from Ethiopian artist Julie Megilett, who was the best-selling artist in the African art market last year. Abstract acrylic and ink painting on canvas, Mumbafilia, sold for $5.8 million at Christie's auction in 2024, making her the bestselling artist of the year.
And her success is not fluke either. Over the past few years, female artists on the continent have not only been prominent, but have outperformed the male counterparts of auction sales, critical awareness and global influence. Long overlooked, they are now ordering the spotlight and record-breaking prices.
In 2023, female African artists outperformed men for the first time in auction sales. In 2024, despite a more widespread decline in the African art market, women reached a value of $22 million, with 452 women being represented. According to Art Research Company Arttactic, this is up from 288 in 2023. All five of the best-priced works were by women, and Mehretu was leading the rankings.
Nearly two seconds in terms of sales came from South African modernist Irma Stern (1894–1966), whose work, influenced by German Expressionism, remains in demand almost 60 years after her death. (Photo: Stern Murray girl with hibiscus at Christie's in London)
Works by Nigerian visual artists Njideka Akunyili Crosby and Toyin Ojih Odutola and South African painter Marlene Dumas also sold for over $1 million at auction and sale last year.
This success is even more spectacular when placed in the context of 2024 seeing a 27% decline in the global art market and a 45% decline in the African art market. Certainly, this success appears to be more than a temporary blip in statistics. Lindsey Dewar, Chief Operating Officer of Arttactic, said: “The presence at the highest level of the market underscores the increased perception and recognition of female African artists.”
Push back into male domination
Historically, the art scene on the African continent in many other parts of the world has been dominated by men. Women faced major barriers to entry into the arts world, such as the arts college, where access to men only and access to education is limited.
As a female artist looking to succeed as an artist in Cape Town in the 1920s, Stern faced a deep, conservative environment that was not open to the ideas of successful female artists. However, she endured and won the Prix D'Honneur at the art exhibition held in Bordeaux in 1927. Just two years later, in 1929, she represented South Africa at an art exhibition held in London. She traveled solo across the African continent, but her art was inspired by people she saw on the trip, including portraits of Zulu women and young pound men.
Stern's Success – She represented South Africa multiple times at the Venice Biennale and won the Guggenheim Foundation National Award in South Africa in 1960, but ignored the odds of female African artists at the time. Stern amplified the voices of African women in art, and it has become an international sensation in the global art scene where many other women open the doors to follow her, and their works attract attention at exhibitions and auctions.
Crosby, one of the best-selling women African artists of 2024, uses the art landscape to challenge women's alienation. Her 2010 work rejects being invisible. It combines Western art style with Nigerian heritage, celebrates hybrid identity and reminds us of the importance of visibility and empowerment.
In 2022, Crosby's painting was one of a series of works entitled The Beauty Ful Ones, which sold for $4.7 million at Christie's in New York, setting a new auction record for the artist. Riots of Color, these beautiful acrylics profile the daily lives of Nigerian children, including some of the Crosby's family.
Similarly, Nigerian artist Toyin Ojifu Odutra won over $1 million in art sales in 2024, but uses his artwork to promote social change and explore themes such as identity and belonging. Her solo exhibition at Kunztalbasel in 2024, Ileoriaq introduced charcoal, pastel and pencil drawings on paper, linen, canvas and other surfaces that explore the abilities and limitations of language. Due to its overwhelming success, Odutra was awarded the prestigious Wine Artist Award at a ceremony held in Harlem, New York.
Britain-based art auctioneer Strauss & Co also reports growing demand for works by female African artists, including Titan of Esther Mahlung from the South African art world, best known for his vibrant geometric works inspired by the Ndebele art tradition. I
n October Last year, the mural by Mahrangu – the title Umuntu Ngumuntu Ngabantu, translated by ndebele as “I am you”, was presented at the Serpentine Gallery in London. This is Mahlangu's first public artwork in the UK and will be on display at Kensington Gardens until late September 2025.
According to Strauss & Co, two of the best-selling artists in 2024 were South African painter Marlene Dumas and British artist Lynette Yiadom-Boakye with a Ghanaian heritage. Dumas creates unforgettable, surreal oil-on-canvas paintings that tend to address political and social themes and make them seem underrated and visible.
Her work against the wall is based on images from media that documented the conflict between Israel and Palestine, and her great male portrait series was created in response to Russian anti-gay laws. The Trophy and the Widow were both portrayed in 2013, but it's unpleasant to watch. The former depicts a naked woman chained by security guards, while the latter depicts a woman staring at an untouched world.
From his humble beginnings in South Africa's apartheid, Dumas grew to become one of the most successful and living African artists. In 2005, the teacher became the most expensive piece created by a living female artist when it was sold for £1.8 million ($2.3 million) at an auction at Christie's. Just three years later, Dumas broke her own record when the visitors sold at Sotheby's for an astounding £3.1 million ($4 million).
The future belongs to women
According to Arttactic, the number of female artists on the continent sold at auctions has increased by 130% since 2015. This extraordinary increase achieved in just a decade suggests that the future is brighter and poised for these talented artists.
In March, the Aldi Gallery in Nairobi celebrated International Women's Day with an exhibition of works by female Kenyan artists known as the XX Chromosome Exhibition. It included paintings, sculptures and photographs. Each provided a unique perspective on the women's experiences. Ghanaian-American visual artist Rita Mauena Benissan enjoys the exhibition at the Seitz Museum of Contemporary Art in Cape Town, which runs until the end of 2025.
Private collectors and museums are similarly aware of the contributions of Mehretu, Dumas and Odutola, making them poised to redefine the contemporary African art scene. They don't just create masterpieces. They form a culture, and at the same time enjoying famous exhibitions and record-breaking sales, outperforming their male counterparts, while also inciting important conversations about identity, gender equality and social justice.
