MARRAKECH.- On November 1st, 2025, Artcurial will present its Moroccan & African Spirit auction at La Mamounia in Marrakech. The sale will celebrate the great figures of modern and contemporary Moroccan and African art: Jacques Majorelle, Mohamed Melehi, Chaïbia, Baya, Chéri Samba…

The selection of artworks embodies a shared spirit — that of a creative, vibrant, and multifaceted Africa, with Morocco standing out as both a major source of inspiration and a true cultural crossroads.

Marché sur la place du village, Côte d’Ivoire, an oil on panel painted during Majorelle’s stay in the country, reveals the artist’s fascination with daily life, landscapes, and local cultures he discovered during his travels. His keen eye for detail lends his works a near-documentary quality, based on sketches and studies made on site.

Majorelle captures the vibrancy of a bustling market scene — a true social stage where women play a central role.

Kept for sixty years in an American private collection, this rediscovered work was exhibited at the Institut Français in Abidjan in 1952 and stands as Majorelle’s most significant painting from his Ivorian journey that same year.

With elegant simplicity, Beauté noire (circa 1948) demonstrates Majorelle’s refined mastery of texture and light. Using metallic powders, the artist creates subtle plays of reflection, endowing the figure with a sculptural and timeless presence.

Two emblematic works from the estate of Mohamed Melehi, a leading figure of modern Moroccan art, will also be offered for sale.

Drawing inspiration from traditional Moroccan decorative elements and his exposure to the Hard Edge movement in New York, Melehi reinterpreted the wave motif in the 1960s as a universal pictorial symbol.

Vague (circa 1968) and Untitled (1970) are among the artist’s most significant works from this period and are being presented at auction for the first time.

Four works by Chaïbia and five by Baya — both self-taught and bold colorists — will also be presented at auction. These two icons of modern art each developed a singular, radiant pictorial universe deeply rooted in popular culture.

Finally, the sale will also feature historic works by Bodys Isek Kingelez and Chéri Samba.

A self-taught artist, Bodys Isek Kingelez reinvented the world through his “architectures maquettiques” (‘model architectures’); colorful utopias that propose dreamlike alternatives to society through joyfully eclectic forms.

Created in 1989, Stars Palme Bouygues is one of his most accomplished model-buildings prior to the development of his “global cities” in the 1990s.

The sculpture was exhibited in the landmark Bodys Isek Kingelez: City Dreams exhibition at MoMA, New York (2018), which established his international acclaim.

The auction will also present Dessinateur Samba et la Sirène by the renowned Chéri Samba ; a vivid work that bridges tradition and modernity, reviving a universal folk tale through the artist’s trademark blend of text and color.