That’s according to Adenike Cosgrove. She is the founder of Imo Dara, an independent website established to connect collectors of African art with reputable scholars and dealers, an initiative that responds to the ways in which the urgent worldwide concerns over the past looting and theft of classical African art now impact on the market in similar historical works. Last year, Imo Dara’s State of the African Art Market report included analysis of both camps — classical African art and Modern and contemporary. Debates over restitution have had a clear effect on the former market; Adenike Cosgrove identifies that, of 355 collectors surveyed, 29 per cent believed they would shift away from collecting classical African art, while 37 per cent believed that it would become more difficult to sell such works in years to come. Meanwhile, there has been a wave of new collectors from Africa entering the market for Modern and contemporary work.
