- Two-part auction: live-virtual sale and concurrent timed-online works on paper
- Live sale headlined by Geoffrey Mukasa, K. F. Msangi and Sam Ntiro
- Partnership builds on Circle Art Agency’s Art Auction East Africa - pioneering work in Kenya since 2013
NAIROBI – Strauss & Co, Africa’s leading auction house, and Danda Jaroljmek, Director of Art Auction East Africa, are pleased to announce details of Art Auction East Africa | Strauss & Co, a new two-part auction of rare and important art from East Africa and beyond. The main event is a 65-lot live-virtual sale of modern and contemporary art, to be held at Circle Art Gallery, Victoria Square, Riara Road, Nairobi, on Wednesday, 5 November 2025. Running alongside it is a timed-online sale of works on paper, which concludes the same day.
The auction is led by rare works from across East Africa including a work by the distinguished Tanzanian painter, diplomat and academic Sam Ntiro, Working in the Fields, a 1970s oil painting depicting a lush rural landscape (estimate KSh 900 000 – 1 300 000 / US$ 6 967 – 10 064).
Collectors of celebrated Ugandan painter Geoffrey Mukasa will have an opportunity to bid on three scarce works, including the mixed-media pieces Boy Kneeling (1998/2005) and Still Life (2007/08), each estimated at KSh 1.2 – 1.5 million / US$ 9 290 – 11 610.
“The quality of the works by Msangi, Mukasa and Ntiro, viewed together with top-notch works by Cyrus Kabiru, Justus Kyalo and Beatrice Wanjiku, underscore the breadth of artistic practices across East Africa over the past six decades,” says Danda Jaroljmek, Director, Circle Art Agency, who established Art Auction East Africa in 2013 as a platform to cultivate a secondary market for East African artists working during the era of decolonisation and independence.
Broader regional highlights from the catalogue include works by Egyptian painter Souad Abdelrassoul and Zimbabwean artist Misheck Masamvu. A collaborative work by Kenyan sculptor Gakunju Kaigwa and Zimbabwean sculptor Tapfuma Gutsa underscores the transnational dialogue in African art. Both Masamvu and Gutsa represented Zimbabwe at the Venice Biennale in 2011.
Susie Goodman, Managing Executive of Strauss & Co, comments: “This bold initiative is a strategic partnership between two leading regional actors with deep networks and a shared commitment to the African art market. It recognises the importance of collaboration in fostering a thriving pan-African art ecosystem. We are especially excited to deepen our engagement with artists, collectors and institutions in East Africa. Strauss & Co has global client base, and we are excited at the prospect of taking our clients on this exciting journey.”
The currency for the sale is Kenyan Shilling (KSh). All viewing and collections take place in Nairobi.
Rare works (descending):
Lot 39: Sam Ntiro (Tanzanian 1923–1993) Working in the Fields, circa 1970s, oil on canvas (estimate KSh 900 000 – 1 300 000 / $6 967 – $10 064)
Lot 24: K F Msangi (Tanzanian, 1936–2003) Lusiki, 1960-62, oil on canvas (estimate KSh 1 – 1.5 million / $7 740– $11 610)
Lot 26: K F Msangi (Tanzanian, 1936–2003) Baobab under the Red Moon, 1968-69, acrylic on canvas (estimate KSh 1 – 1.5 million / $7 740– $11 610)
Lot 12: Geoffrey Mukasa (Ugandan, 1954–2009) Boy Kneeling, 1998/ 2005, mixed media, oil, collage on board (estimate KSh 1.2 – 1.5 million / $9 290 – $11 610)
Lot 13: Geoffrey Mukasa (Ugandan, 1954–2009) Still Life, 2007-08, mixed media, collage on board (estimate KSh 1 – 1.5 million / $7 740– $11 610)
Top artists by value:
Geoffrey Mukasa (Ugandan, 1954–2009)
Lot 12, Boy Kneeling (estimate KSh 1.2 – 1.5 million / $9 290 – $11 610)
Lot 13, Still Life (estimate KSh 1 – 1.5 million / $7 740– $11 610)
- F. Msangi (Tanzanian, 1936–2003)
Lot 24, Lusiki (estimate KSh 1 – 1.5 million / $7 740– $11 610)
Lot 26, Baobab under the Red Moon (estimate KSh 1 – 1.5 million / $7 740– $11 610)
Top 10 lots by value (descending):
Lot 12: Geoffrey Mukasa (Ugandan, 1954–2009) Boy Kneeling, 1998/ 2005, mixed media, oil, collage on board (estimate KSh 1.2 – 1.5 million / $9 290 – $11 610)
Lot 13: Geoffrey Mukasa (Ugandan, 1954–2009) Still Life, 2007-08, mixed media, collage on board (estimate KSh 1 – 1.5 million / $7 740– $11 610)
Lot 24: K F Msangi (Tanzanian, 1936–2003) Lusiki, 1960-62, oil on canvas (estimate KSh 1 – 1.5 million / $7 740– $11 610)
Lot 26: K F Msangi (Tanzanian, 1936–2003) Baobab under the Red Moon, 1968-69, acrylic on canvas (estimate KSh 1 – 1.5 million / $7 740– $11 610)
Lot 39: Sam Ntiro (Tanzanian 1923–1993) Working in the Fields, circa 1970s, oil on canvas (estimate KSh 900 000 – 1 300 000 / $6 967 – $10 064)
Lot 46: Beatrice Wanjiku (Kenyan, b. 1978) We Are Who We Are, 2010, mixed media on canvas (estimate KSh 800 000 – 1 000 000 / $6 192 – $7 740)
Lot 31: Justus Kyalo (Kenyan, b. 1972) More light a little, 2021, acrylic on canvas (estimate KSh 685 000 – 885 000 / $5 302 – $6 850)
Lot 9: Cyrus Kabiru (Kenyan, b. 1984), Vice Versa, 2024, mixed media sculpture (estimate KSh 600 000 – 1 000 000 / $4 645 – $7 740)
Lot 63: Souad Abdelrassoul (Egyptian, born 1974) A Hopeful Face & In the Confrontation (diptych), 2025, acrylic on canvas (estimate KSh 580 000 – 680 000 / $ 4 486 – 5 260)
Lot 14: Geoffrey Mukasa (Ugandan, 1954–2009) Untitled, (single face in red), 1996, mixed media and collage on paper (estimate KSh 500 000 – 800 000 / $3 870 – $6 192)Established in 2009, Strauss & Co is the leading art auction house in Africa, specialising in modern and contemporary art, collectable design, fine wine and jewellery. With a focus on African and international art, Strauss & Co caters to art enthusiasts globally with its curated mix of marquee live auctions, single-artist sales, spotlight presentations and popular monthly online sales.
