Over the past year, the American-Ivorian artist Aboudia Abdoulaye Diarrassouba, best known as Aboudia, has cemented his position as one of the most prominent artists in the contemporary African art scene. His intensely colored, large-scale, mixed-media works draw inspiration from graffiti and African carvings, reflecting the current tensions in his home country of Côte d’Ivoire, and the energy of African culture and art. Artnet Auctions is proud to present several opportunities to collect works by Aboudia through our Contemporary Finds and Contemporary Select sales now live for bidding. 

Aboudia, Untitled (2021). Available now in Contemporary Select on Artnet Auctions. Est. $25,000-30,000.

This year works by Aboudia have shown massive success on the secondary market. In 2021, compositions by the artist sold for a 75 percent higher value than their mean estimate, while 100 percent of works have outsold their high estimate, according to data from the Artnet Price Database. The average price realized of auction lots by Aboudia since March 2021 currently stands at $86,018. These insights signify a strong and ever-increasing demand for Aboudia’s work. 

Aboudia’s work consistently sells for higher than its mean estimate, signaling a high demand.

This staggering data is perhaps in part due to the artist’s compelling background and how it informs his subject matter. Born in Abidjan, the capital of Côte d’Ivoire, Aboudia became immersed in a national upheaval following the 2010 presidential election in which Alassane Ouattara defeated Laurent Gbagbo. When Gbagbo refused to concede, the country experienced paramilitary uprisings. The artist found himself in the thick of constant conflict and bloodshed. Aboudia’s work represents the divergent moods of his nation suspended in battle, with an emphasis on the experiences of the youth. His depictions of ghostly, wide-eyed, often underprivileged children are inspired by traditional African Nok and Grebo masks and hand-drawn vigorously on magazine cutouts and canvas.

Aboudia, Untitled (2021). Available now in Contemporary Select on Artnet Auctions. Est. $20,000–30,000.

After the Second Ivorian Civil War ended in 2011, Aboudia’s career exploded, catapulting his works to galleries in Europe and the United States. Since then, he has held solo exhibitions at Jack Bell Gallery in London, Ethan Cohen Gallery in New York, Galerie Cécile Fakhoury in Abidjan, and Out of Africa Gallery in Barcelona, among many others.

Don’t miss the opportunity to add a bold and enrapturing work by Aboudia to your collection—bidding on Contemporary Finds is live through August 4, and Contemporary Select is live through August 12. 

Please don’t hesitate to contact the specialist for this work, Johannes Vogt, with any questions or concerns. 

Head of Contemporary Art

+1-212-497-9700 ext. 138

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