DIENSTAG, 31. MÄRZ 2026 
At the heart of this sale, over 100 lots are dedicated to Samuel Fosso, a key figure in contemporary photography. Born in 1962 in Cameroon and settled in Bangui after the Biafra War, Fosso opened his own studio, the Studio Photo Nationale, at the age of thirteen. While his early portraits aimed to meet his personal needs, he simultaneously developed a more intimate and radical practice: self-portraiture.
Through these nocturnal images, Fosso transforms himself, cross-dresses, and embodies historical or cultural figures — from the liberated American woman of the 1970s to Angela Davis or Martin Luther King in the African Spirits series. These self-portraits are not mere performances: they explore the construction of the image, the relationship between the African body and the Western gaze, and the stakes of postcolonial identity.
Internationally recognised from the 1990s onwards, notably thanks to the Galerie Jean-Marc Patras in Paris, Fosso’s works have been exhibited at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie and are held in prestigious collections such as the Centre Pompidou and the Musée du Quai Branly. His approach remains one of the most singular and influential in contemporary photography.
Alongside Fosso, the sale will also feature the vibrant paintings of Troy Henriksen and a curated selection of contemporary design, offering a rich and dynamic overview of current creative production.
Echoes of the Present: Samuel Fosso and Contemporary Creation at Drouot
F or its first sale at Hôtel Drouot, auction house Nautilus will offer on 31 March a sale devoted to identity and contemporary creation. Titled Échos du présent, this auction brings together three major fields: the photography of Samuel Fosso, the paintings of Troy Henriksen, and a curated selection of contemporary design.
Samuel Fosso: Self-Portrait as a Tool for History and Identity
At the heart of this sale, over 100 lots are dedicated to Samuel Fosso, a key figure in contemporary photography. Born in 1962 in Cameroon and settled in Bangui after the Biafra War, Fosso opened his own studio, the Studio Photo Nationale, at the age of thirteen. While his early portraits aimed to meet his personal needs, he simultaneously developed a more intimate and radical practice: self-portraiture.
Through these nocturnal images, Fosso transforms himself, cross-dresses, and embodies historical or cultural figures — from the liberated American woman of the 1970s to Angela Davis or Martin Luther King in the African Spirits series. These self-portraits are not mere performances: they explore the construction of the image, the relationship between the African body and the Western gaze, and the stakes of postcolonial identity.
Internationally recognised from the 1990s onwards, notably thanks to the Galerie Jean-Marc Patras in Paris, Fosso’s works have been exhibited at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie and are held in prestigious collections such as the Centre Pompidou and the Musée du Quai Branly. His approach remains one of the most singular and influential in contemporary photography.
Alongside Fosso, the sale will also feature the vibrant paintings of Troy Henriksen and a curated selection of contemporary design, offering a rich and dynamic overview of current creative production.
