The “William Rubin Kota” & the African Art Market: “Primitivism” Reinvented in the 21st Century Restricted; Files Only

Abstract

I began developing my interest in the African art auction market in the second semester of my first year at Emory University under the guidance of Dr. Gagliardi and Ph.D. Candidate Haley Jones. Through my three-year apprenticeship with Haley, I have focused on the seemingly arbitrary yet specific valuation of works of art in the African art auctions that took place between 2001 and 2020. As I continued my research with Haley and began taking courses with Dr. Gagliardi, I found that I had many questions I needed to investigate further. The discourse surrounding African art’s relationship with European modernism of the early twentieth century fascinated me. Why were most collectors more interested in African art’s potential influence on European art than the aesthetic conventions of African art itself?

Upon wanting to explore questions like these further, Dr. Gagliardi introduced me to a “Kota” object likely from eastern Gabon often referred to as the “William Rubin Kota.” This object was offered for sale at Christie’s Paris on June 23, 2015, and sold for  €5,473,500, or $6,112,740. In this focused study, I examine information available in auction catalogs, comparing the estimated prices and hammer prices of this “Kota” object with other similarly labeled works offered at other auctions, both before and after 2015. In my pursuit of determining the record-breaking valuation of this “Kota” sculpture, I assert the effects that four factors had on the appreciation of this sculpture’s hammer price: its aesthetic qualities, perceived rarity, provenance, and placement at the 1984 exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City titled “‘Primitivism’ in 20th Century Art: Affinity of the Tribal and the Modern.” In attempting to separate the effects that these factors had on the valuation of the sculpture, I learned in the process that each worked in tandem to appreciate the sculpture’s value.

Table of Contents

Preface..............................................................................................................................................1 Introduction......................................................................................................................................3

Introduction Images......................................................................................................................17

Chapter I: The “Kota” Identity: Fabrication or Reality?...............................................................18

Chapter I Images............................................................................................................................34

Chapter II: Provenance Without an Origin....................................................................................37

Chapter II Images...........................................................................................................................50

Chapter III: The “Primitive” Conscious of Modern Art................................................................51

Chapter III Images.........................................................................................................................64 Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................68

Coda............................................................................................................73

Bibliography...................................................................................................................................75 

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	Art History and History
Degree	B.A.
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Economics, General Art History African Studies
Keyword	Kota Reliquary Figure Art Market African Art Art Auction Market Kota
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Dr. Susan Elizabeth Gagliardi, Emory University Dr. Lisa Lee, Emory University Dr. Kyrah Daniels, Emory University

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