Grace Wekesa (b. 1974)
Head of a Listener, 2015
Bronze with brown patina, on a hardwood base
48 × 22 × 26 cm · Edition 2 of 6
Estimate KES 1,500,000–2,200,000
Bidding
Live sale
Today at 21:15
The auctioneer opens this lot at KES 750,000. Bid live from your phone, or leave a maximum now and the auctioneer will bid for you from the book.
About the work
The second head in Wekesa's Listener series: a long, smooth face with closed eyes, turned very slightly to one side as if catching a sound. The patina was built up over several weeks from a dark chocolate brown at the crown to a warmer bronze at the cheek.
Condition
Excellent. Patina even and undisturbed.
Provenance
Acquired from the artist, 2015; private collection, Nairobi.
The artist
Wekesa models heads in clay and casts them in bronze in small editions, finished with brown and green patinas that she builds up over weeks. The faces are elongated and calm, with closed eyes, as if listening or asleep. Her Listener series, begun in 2014, is her best known, and the heads are rarely offered for sale.
More by Grace Wekesa