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<\/p>\nCollectors\u00a0Jorge and Darlene P\u00e9rez\u00a0have donated 36 works by 15 artists from Africa and the African diaspora to Tate as part of an ongoing partnership between the Miami couple and the UK institution. The works include seven photographs by the Malian artist Seydou Ke\u00efta, three paintings by the Congolese artist Cheri Samba and a 1986 wooden plank hanging piece by El Anatsui of Ghana.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe acquisition furthers the ambition that Tate has of really changing art historical dialogue. It definitely represents a shift,\u201d says Osei Bonsu, the curator of Nigerian Modernism at Tate Modern (until 10 May 2026).<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ways in which these artists are both at the cutting edge of the contemporary but also rooted in more established histories of African art meant that it was an opportunity for Tate to look at their collection as a way of broadening our existing holdings, pushing forward some of the artists that we would have loved to acquire.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some of the acquisitions fill gaps in the collection. For instance, Tate did not previously own any works by Samba, who Bonsu says is an \u201cextraordinary artist who is overdue institutional recognition\u201d. Works donated include J\u2019aime la Couleur (2004) and Live Dans les Sous-Sols du Rex (1982).<\/p>\n
Ke\u0129ta, meanwhile, was known for photographing a range of clients at his studio in Bamako, Mali, capturing sitters in works such as Untitled, Boy with Bicycle (1949-51) and Untitled (Man) (1952-75). \u201cWhen works do come up at auction, it takes eagle eyed collectors to recognise that these examples of studio photography are rare social documents of African life during the post-colonial period,\u201d says Bonsu.<\/p>\n
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Seydou Ke\u00efta, Untitled, 1957-58<\/p>\n
\u00a9 Seydou Ke\u00efta SKPEAC. Courtesy The Jean Pigozzi Collection of African Art<\/p>\n
Joy Labinjo\u2019s The Real Thugs of Britain (2020) depicts three police officers, among them former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, against a luminous yellow background. \u201cTraditionally known for her intimate, celebratory portraits of Black sitters, Labinjo here turns her gaze on white authority figures, using them as a way to confront the systemic nature of racism,\u201d says a Tate statement.<\/p>\n
Other works donated include Wangechi Mutu\u2019s two-part collage You pretty, no you pretty (2008); Rotimi Fani-Kayode’s Twins (1989), a black-and-white gelatin silver print of two male twins and Batsho bancama (2017), a sculptural installation by Johannesburg-born Buhlebezwe Siwani made from green soap and rose petals. Three works by the Nigerian printmaker Bruce Onobrakpeya are also included in the gift, alongside a pair of works on paper by the Kenyan-US artist Wangechi Mutu.<\/p>\n
The P\u00e9rezes started collecting African art around 15 years ago. \u201cThis is very important for us. We feel that artists from the African continent, the Sub-Saharan in particular, and Latin America, have not been exposed at the level that they should be,\u201d says Jorge. <\/p>\n
The P\u00e9rezes have also funded a \u201cmulti-million dollar endowment\u201d to support Tate\u2019s curatorial research which will help to fund curatorial posts dedicated to work on African and Latin American art. Bonsu was subsequently appointed the Jorge M. P\u00e9rez senior curator, international art, Africa and Diaspora.<\/p>\n
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Gavin Jantjes, Quietly at Tea, 1981<\/p>\n
\u00a9 Gavin Jantjes. Courtesy of Christie’s, London<\/p>\n