Will the art world’s renewed commitment to diversity propel the market for work by Black artists?

The Cup is a Cloud by Diedrick Brackens. Woven cotton and acrylic yarn, and mirrored acrylic, 74" x 78," 2018. Image: Diedrick Brackens 

The influence of Black culture is profound. One need only look at Billboards' 'Hot 100 Hits,' where, on the week of July 4, 2020, eight of the top ten singles were created by Black artists. And make no mistake, this is not a temporary trend, it is a moment in a long-standing history of Black artists leading the direction of popular music. To offer an example, Jazz, one of the most important musical developments of the twentieth century, originated in the African American communities of New Orleans. The cultural and economic power of music made by Black artists is therefore well established.

That is not to suggest the visibility of Black musicians absolves the music industry of racism. It has been practising the systematic exploitation of Black artists for years, and industry awards like the Grammy's have tended to shun Black artists in the top accolades of best new artist, album of the year, record of the year and song of the year. However, the overrepresentation of Black artists' in the music industry indicates the significant cultural influence of Black creatives. And the art world is finally paying attention.  

To understand this, we can look to Africa's art market, which has been enjoying unprecedented attention in a phenomenon dubbed 'Africa's Art Boom.' Africa is, however, a big place, and it would be misleading to suggest that the entire continent is suddenly enjoying the fickle attention of the art world. Yet, certain pockets of the continent have in recent years landed on the art market's map.

A thriving art market is usually a product of a culturally rich country; which is, in turn, a manifestation of wealth, upward mobility and importantly, tourism. In 2019, the International Monetary Fund estimated that six of the ten fastest-growing economies were in Africa. However, many of these nations are growing from destitute economic positions. It is, therefore, in Africa's wealthier countries that the art boom is most evident. That said, the demand for African art is not limited to works by the artists who live and work in the African continent, but also includes artists belonging to Africa's diaspora.

El Anatsui | Ancestors Starting To Converge Again. Estimate: 20,000 - 30,000 GBP. Sold: 25,000 GBP .Source: Sotheby’s. 

Furthermore, Africa's art boom is not purely attributable to the growing wealth in some African nations, but to international interest in African art. Indeed, Sotheby's biannual Modern and Contemporary Africa sale was first held in 2017, indicating a growing demand for works by artists from across the continent.

In March this year, the auction yielded results on par with the general trend of earlier Modern and Contemporary African art auctions, with 75% of lots sold. The auction yielded a total of £2.3 million, despite a rapid last-minute shift online as a result of London's lockdown. The previous Modern and Contemporary African Art auction, held in the blissful pre-COVID days of October 2019, yielded a sale total of a whopping £4 million with 80% of lots sold.

It is clear then that there has been, for some time, a growing market for African art. However, now there is also reason to believe that this appetite for work by African artists, and Black artists from across the globe will pick up pace in light of the Black Lives Matter movement. The murder of George Floyd and the upsurge in the Black Lives Matter protests has forced individuals and organisations alike to be introspective, self-aware and pro-active in efforts to combat racism and structural inequality.

The movement has brought with it a sense of urgency, the feeling that progress isn't happening fast enough; in the art world, this has manifested in a growing awareness of the fact that black creatives have been denied visibility for long enough. Art institutions can no longer be seen to be complacent in the fight for equality. As such, many institutions, particularly those engaged with modern and contemporary art, have in the last month announced strategic approaches to addressing the inequality in their programming. Simultaneously, these institutions have taken steps to begin talking about work by Black artists, Indigenous artists and art by People of Colour.

Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga | Ko Bungisa Mbala Mibale 2. Estimate Estimate: 30,000 - 50,000 GBP. Sold: 62,500 GBP. Source: Sotheby’s. 

We can look to Instagram to understand how this renewed commitment to diversity is playing out on social media; a platform which itself has been central to the Black Lives Matter movement. On the pages of established art institutions and popular Instagram platforms alike, there is evidence of an increased commitment to sharing the work of Black artists, as well as work by Indigenous artists and People of Colour. For example, Tate's official Instagram page showed a 17% increase in the visibility of BIPOC artists between January and June this year.

In January, Tate posted 63 images of art, 30% of which featured work by BIPOC creatives, comparatively, in June, Tate posted 70 images of art, 47% of which featured work by BIPOC artists. Similarly, in January MoMA's official Instagram page posted 35 images of art, 51% of which featured works by BIPOC artists, whereas, in June, MoMA posted 25 images of art, 76% of which featured BIPOC artists. These platforms have shown a commitment to educating their vast audiences about the work of BIPOC artists.

What is also significant is evidence of an increased appetite for such content as people seek to educate themselves. The Instagram page @ablackhistoryofart was founded by Alayo Akinkugbe, of the University of Cambridge. The page is dedicated to highlighting overlooked black artists, sitters, curators and thinkers from Art History and the present day. It features the work of well-known artists such as Faith Ringold, along with the work of lesser-known contemporary artists such as Diedrick Brackens. The page was founded in mid-February of 2020, today, less than four months and just 37 posts later, the page has almost 41k followers. The rapid growth of the page is arguably attributable to a growing commitment to diversity not only by institutions but by individuals.

Alayo Akinkugbe’s @ablackhistoryofart on Instagram 

It is clear then that both institutions and individuals are committed to increasing the visibility of BIPOC artists. The question is, however, how will this translate to the art market? And that is yet to be seen. Galleries such as David Zwirner committed to "creating structures internally that ensure [they] continue to stand with Black Lives Matter beyond this moment," it was one of many blue-chip galleries to release such statements.

On the other hand, auction houses such as Sotheby's and Christie's were light-handed and arguably performative in their responses to Black Lives Matter. Perhaps unsurprising, given the jarring lack of diversity among works sold by major auction houses, of course, unlike galleries, they have less control over what they sell. However, this does not excuse auction houses from participating in systematic change, particularly when diverse hiring can lead to diverse programming; so, it is clear auction houses have a great deal of work to do.  

So, will the art world's renewed commitment to diversity propel the market for works by Black artists? We'll have to wait and see, but I'd bet on it. In part, because of the already established growth in Africa's art market, but primarily because the unprecedented level of interest in Black and African art will almost undoubtedly drive market demand.

Katie Lynch,

Contributor, MADE IN BED