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Ethiopian artist Julie Mehretu sets new world record for highest sale of African artwork

Julie Mehretu attends The Kering Foundation's Caring for Women dinner at The Pool on Park Avenue on 15 September 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images via AFP)

By Amina Wako | 17 Nov 2023

Her 2008 piece, "Walkers With the Dawn and Morning," was auctioned at Sotheby's in New York for an impressive $10.7 million (Sh1.62 billion), surpassing her own record set just last month.

Julie Mehretu, an Ethiopian artist, on Wednesday set a new world record for the highest sale of an African artwork.

Her 2008 piece, "Walkers With the Dawn and Morning," was auctioned at Sotheby's in New York for an impressive $10.7 million (Sh1.62 billion), surpassing her own record set just last month.

The final cost, including fees, amounted to $9.5 million (Sh1.44 billion).

This achievement follows Mehretu's success at Sotheby's Hong Kong sale in October, where her 2001 diptych fetched $9.32 million, surpassing the previous record held by South African artist Marlene Dumas in 2008.

Image of Julie Mehretu’s “Walkers With the Dawn and Morning". (Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby’s)

The record-breaking painting was created in response to the impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans, showcasing Mehretu's distinctive mark-making style, incorporating architectural drawing, vibrant vectors, and calligraphic sweeps.

Mehretu was born in Addis Ababa in 1970 and has become a prominent figure in the contemporary African art scene, emphasizing the growing interest in abstract works within this genre.