Untitled (Abstracted Figure in Profile)

Strauss & Co presents a selection of works exhibited at the exhibition Contemporary African Art, which was on view at the Camden Art Centre in London from 10 August to 8 September 1969. Curated by Jacqueline Delange and Philip Fry, the show was one of the first in England that focused on modern African artists.

The exhibition aimed to disrupt limiting notions of African art and encourage a reflection on how art from the continent has influenced Western artists and institutions. It showcased works in a wide range of media by notable artists such as Ibrahim El Salahi, Gerard Sekoto, Sydney Kumalo, Vincent Kofi, Uzo Egonu, Prince Twins Seven-Seven, and Muraina Oyelami.

Revisiting London offers works by prominent artists who trained at the Rorke’s Drift Art and Crafts Centre in KwaZulu-Natal, as well as leading Nigerian modernists who were part of the influential Mbari Artists and Writers Club and Oshogbo Art School. The sale includes linocuts, silkscreens, tempera paintings and a multimedia collage rendered in the bold, figurative style that African Modernism is known for. There is a strong throughline of storytelling across the pieces, from Azaria Mbatha and John Muafengejo’s biblical scenes to Jacob Afolabi and Prince Twins Seven-Seven’s retellings of Yoruba folklore and mythology.

The collection of works was inherited from Hedi Worrall, who played a role in organising the exhibition at the Camden Art Centre. Hedi was born in Vienna and lived in Europe, Africa and North America over her lifetime. Her second husband, John Worrall, was a prominent journalist who was working in Zimbabwe (Rhodesia at the time) in the late 60s. A few months before the Camden exhibition, John was expelled from Rhodesia for protesting against apartheid in South Africa, and the family moved to London.

The diverse offering of African artists in the sale speaks to the strong ties the couple had within the art world across the continent. They were acquainted with well-known collectors of African art and figures such as the Rhodesia National Museum director, Frank McEwen. Hedi and John eventually returned to Africa, where they lived in Kenya for ten years before John’s passing.