Over €3M for the A Moroccan Winter auction: From Jacques Majorelle to Mohamed Meheli
On December 30th 2024, Artcurial hosted its traditional A Moroccan Winter auction at La Mamounia, drawing a full room of 150 persons, alongside numerous online and phone bidders. Totaling over €3M, this sixth edition confirms Artcurial's leading position in the Orientalist art market, particularly for works by Jacques Majorelle. Mohamed Meheli's artworks also attracted high bids, with 100% of lots sold.
Jacques Majorelle (1886-1962)
Kasbah d’Anemiter
Sold €366,221 / MAD 3,838,800
Jacques Majorelle and his contemporaries met with great interest, with 100% of lots sold for Suzanne Drouet-Reveillaud. Among the notable results, Majorelle’s Kasbah of Anemiter fetched €366,221, the top lot of the sale. A record was set by the book Les Kasbahs de l'Atlas, which sold for €46,311. The piece Bijoux berbères changed hands for €342,562. Lastly, the oil painting Un portier fumant au Caire by Jean Jules Antoine Lecomte de Nouÿ fetched €115,152.
All 8 works by Mohamed Melehi featured in the auction found buyers. Among them, Pyramidal achieved €200,264, followed by Flamme, which sold for €162,714. Ahmed Ben Driss El Yacoubi's Medieval Forest was a surprise, fetching €57,576. Finally, an oil on canvas by Fatna Gbouri sold for €37,549.
Mohamed Melehi (1936-2020)
Pyramidal, 1984
Sold €200,264 / MAD 2,099,200
Abdoulaye Konaté (born 1953)
Composition Massabelè, 2017
Sold €60,079 / MAD 629,760
Abdoulaye Konaté’s Composition Massabelè (Cercle et triangle) emerged as the highlight of the contemporary African art segment, achieving €60,079. Aboudia’s canvas Les Trois Baramogho also drew significant interest, hammering at €56,324. Lastly, Pilipili Mulongoy’s leopards Untitled found a buyer for €15,020, marking strong results for the contemporary African art scene.