Event Details

Entitled Pili Pili, a Master of Modern African Art, this cultural exhibition, which is open to the public without charge, highlights some fifteen works from a private Belgian collection, shown to the public for the first time. As Christophe Person, director of Artcurial’s Contemporary African Art department, explains, the works presented “are characteristic of Pili Pili’s work, who knew how to capture the richness and vibrancy of wild life with great delicacy.” Artcurial was one of the first auction houses to focus on African contemporary art. In 2010, it organised its first auction in Paris dedicated to the speciality, gathering 65 artists and representing 24 nationalities. On 24th March 2021, Artcurial organised a sale in Paris dedicated to African Modern Art and in particular to “L’Ecole du Hangar”, of which Pili Pili Mulongoy is an emblematic artist. In November, the painting “Simba” (“the lion” in Swahili), sold for €45,000 including fees, broke the world record for the artist at Artcurial. Inspired by traditional tales and legends, Pili Pili Mulongoy recounts African nature in all its states, following the cycle of life and death. His paintings, of extreme delicacy and great refinement, reveal his mastery of shapes and colours.