Bruno Claessens - Duende Art Projects Arts of the African continent

Duende Art Projects’ ambition is to inspire people and enrich their lives by sharing a profound passion for the art of the African continent.

Biography

Duende Art Projects was founded in 2021 by Bruno Claessens, a passionate art expert with 15 years of ample experience in the African art market. Previously, he was the European director of the African art department at Christie’s for 5 years. Bruno has published three books on African art (Ere Ibeji (2013), Baule Monkeys (2016) & UNÛ (2021)) and has ran a popular blog on the subject since 2013. Throughout his career, he gained a profound knowledge of art of the African continent, both classical and contemporary, and has developed a great network of collectors, curators and scholars as well as strong institutional ties.

Duende Art Projects’ ambition is to inspire people and enrich their lives by sharing a profound passion for the art of the African continent. Our purpose is to strengthen Africa’s visibility and significance within the global and diverse art world through a strong digital presence and curated exhibitions on unique locations. The inaugural exhibition “Threads” presented masterpieces by El Anatsui and Abdoulaye Konaté, together with a re-discovered 15^th century Kongo trumpet, in a 14^th century abandoned monastery in the historic city center of Antwerp. “Unsettled” presented a strong selection of classical Nigerian art, together with carefully selected works by 9 contemporary African artists.

Discover his artworks

Headrest

Anonymous Tsonga artist

South Africa

Height: 12.5 cm

Wood

Late 19th century

Provenance:

Private Collection, Australia

Kevin Conru, Brussels, Belgium

Terence J. Pethica, Coleshill, Buckinghamshire, UK (TP 096)

via Douglas Barett, London, UK, 2022

Duende Art Projects, Antwerp, Belgium, 2022

Publication history:

Klopper, Sandra; Nettleton, Anitra & Pethica, Terence J., The Art of Southern Africa. The Terence Pethica Collection, Milan, 5 Continents, 2007, p. 119, #48