Empirical Analysis of the Participation of Nigerian Artists in the African Contemporary Art Market

The African contemporary art market has grown substantially since 2015, driven by diaspora collector interest, international auction house expansion, and the proliferation of Africa-focused art fairs, and empirically characterising the participation patterns and outcomes for Nigerian artists within this market fills an important scholarly gap. This study empirically analysed the participation of Nigerian artists in the African contemporary art market from 2019 to 2023, drawing on auction records, art fair participation data, and primary artist survey data. Secondary analysis of auction results from Sotheby's, Christie's, Bonhams, and Arthouse Contemporary databases identified 240 Nigerian artist lots, which were coded for artist gender, regional origin, medium, sale price, and estimate accuracy. A primary survey was conducted with 60 Nigerian artists who had participated in at least one international art fair or auction during the study period. Auction analysis revealed that male artists accounted for 82.9 percent of lots, and Lagos-origin artists represented 74.6 percent, confirming significant gender and geographic concentration. Price performance showed that Nigerian artists outperformed pre-sale estimates in 61.7 percent of cases, suggesting market demand exceeding supply. Female artists commanded lower average sale prices than male artists at comparable career stages (mean difference 38 percent) after controlling for medium and scale. Survey respondents identified language barriers, international documentation requirements, and curatorial access inequities as the primary participation barriers for non-Lagos artists. The study fills a significant empirical gap and recommends targeted support for female artists and non-Lagos regional representation in international market contexts.