Lempertz Brussels Auction Offers Royal Ngongo Figure and Kuba Masterpieces
Lempertz will hold an auction of Central African art on July 1 in Brussels. The top lot is a 19th-century royal Ngongo figure from northern Kasai-Occidental in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, estimated at 120,000 to 150,000 euros. Additional highlights include a royal Bwoom mask from the Kuba Kingdom estimated at 60,000 to 80,000 euros, a D’mba-Yamban mask from Guinea’s Baga culture estimated at 65,000 to 80,000 euros, and a reliquary figure by the Fang people of Gabon estimated at 50,000 to 60,000 euros.
The Signal
These objects demonstrate the direct formal influence of African sculpture on European modernism, including Picasso’s 1931–1932 Head of a Woman series and the development of Cubism. Collectors and curators will note the institutional benchmark set by the Bwoom mask’s comparison to the Brooklyn Museum example and the restricted royal provenance of the Luba bow stand. The estimates position these pieces as entry points into a market segment where spiritual function and court status drive both historical significance and current valuation.
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- Artists: Pablo Picasso
- Auction Houses: Lempertz
- Museums: Brooklyn Museum
- Locations: Brussels
- Prices: 120000-150000 euro, 60000-80000 euro, 65000-80000 euro, 22000-28000 euro, 50000-60000 euro
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