Post by DakArtNews

For more than three decades, Belgian-Congolese collector and dealer Didier Claes has been one of the leading voices in the field of classical African art. With “Africa Legacy: The Cradle of Art”, he embarks on what is arguably the most ambitious project of his career: an exhibition bringing together nearly 280 works spanning more than 4,000 years of African artistic creation. Opening in Brussels this autumn, Africa Legacy traces a continuous history of African art—from ancient Nok terracottas and classical masterpieces to works by more than 50 modern and contemporary artists. Rather than separating historical objects from contemporary practice, the exhibition argues that they belong to the same artistic continuum. In this interview with DakArtNews, Didier Claes reflects on the exhibition’s curatorial vision, the challenge of selecting artists and masterpieces, the changing landscape of the African art market, and why he believes the distinction between “classical” and “contemporary” African art has outlived its usefulness. #africanart #contemporaryafricanart https://lnkd.in/dVE8SZYh