Julie Mehretu has set a new auction record for an African-born artist. Unlike in the broader market, the top prices for African artists at auction are generated by women. Two other artists in this top tier are the South African artist Irma Stern and the Nigerian American artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby. Despite this, the market for Mehretu is consistently strong, according to the head of Sotheby's Modern and contemporary African art department, Hannah O'Leary. This is helped by the creation of new contemporary art museums on the continent, such as Zeitz MOCAA and the Norval Foundation, as well as Western museums such as the Tate and the Pompidou, who are actively collecting contemporary art from Africa,” she adds.
