335 - ODITA, ODILI DONALD

ODITA, ODILI DONALD 1966 Enugu, Nigeria Title: "Prey". Date: 2002. Technique: Acrylic on canvas. Dimensions: 121.5 x 152 cm. Notation: Signed, dated twice, titled, and inscribed on the reverse side of the canvas overlap in the upper left corner (partially obscured by the frame): ODITA 07/2002 PREY 07/2002 DONALD ODILI ODITA. Also includes directions. Frame: Framed. Provenance: - Galerie Schuster, Frankfurt am Main - Private collection, Rhineland-Palatinate (acquired from previous owner in 2004) Exhibition: - Galerie Schuster, Frankfurt am Main, 2004 - Galerie Schuster/Scheuermann, Berlin, 2004 - Galerie Judin Belot, Zurich, 2004 Literature: - Exhibition catalog: Roots Traces – Odili Donald Odita 1991–2004. Gallery Schuster, Frankfurt am Main/Galerie Schuster/Scheuermann, Berlin/Galerie Judin Belot, Zurich, 2004, p. 42. - Colorful painting that oscillates between abstraction and figuration - Combines American and African traditions - A site-specific wall installation by the artist was on view at MoMA, New York, through April 2026 Odili Donald Odita was born in 1966 in Eunugu, Nigeria, and grew up in the United States, where he still lives and works in Philadelphia. Although still relatively unknown in Europe, he is already celebrated in the United States. From April 2025 to April 2026, for example, he was featured at the Museum of Modern Art in New York with an impressive site-specific wall installation. His kaleidoscopic works follow in the tradition of Western abstract artists, particularly the Hard-Edge painters. Among them, Odita especially admires Barnett Newman and his “zip paintings,” characterized by a vertical stripe. But in his works, the Nigerian-American artist also interprets the legacy of African painters through his very own contemporary visual language. Inspired by design, the vibrantly colored patterns of African fabrics, the television test pattern, and music—which he listens to while working on his pieces—he creates paintings that are wonderfully balanced in form and color. The triangle and the diagonal play an important role in Odita’s body of work. They refer to his African roots, particularly to Yoruba culture, in which the diagonal stands as a symbol of lightning, movement, and transformation. The colors and forms in Odita’s compositions thus always possess symbolic qualities and cultural significance. The painting presented here captivates with its complex composition of geometric forms and is dominated by shades of red. This color scheme is punctuated by various shades of blue and green; the green color fields on the right and left, in particular, jut out into the picture like arrowheads, creating a sense of tension. The title of the work, “Prey,” refers to the relationship between hunter and hunted and addresses power structures—a recurring theme in the artist’s work. Although the flatness of the color fields dominates the composition, depth still emerges in the image, and one can make out lakes, forests, and landscapes bathed in a red light, as if during a sunset across the vast expanses of Africa. Estimated shipping costs for this lot: This lot is not suitable for parcel shipping. Transportation is available only through a shipping company following consultation after the auction. Additional shipping insurance Shipping insurance Up to a total invoice amount of 25,000 euros: max. 41.65 euros Over a total invoice amount of 25,000 euros: 1.8 per thousand Shipping to the USA by individual arrangement after the auction. #Odili Donald Odita #2000s #Abstract #Painting #Contemporary Art. In accordance with §26 UrhG (German Copyright Act), VAN HAM is obligated to pay a statutory resale royalty on the sale proceeds of all original works of fine art and photography whose authors have not been deceased for 70 years prior to the end of the calendar year of the sale. The buyer shall contribute 1.5% of the hammer price toward this fee.