Misgana African Art

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Misgana African Art

At Misgana, our mission is to showcase the beauty and aesthetic of traditional African art.

Check out our online showroom and marketplace at www.misganaafricanart.com

05/22/2026

YORUBA ARTIST

Ibeji Figure
Nigeria
Late 19th-early 20th century
Wood, metal
Height: 9 7/8 in (25.3 cm)

Ibeji figures are tied to the Yoruba practice of honoring twins who have died in infancy or childhood, and each figure is carved to take on the spiritual presence of the lost child. The family treats the figure as they would a living child, which is why ibeji so often show polished surfaces, signs of washing, and the addition of beads or small metal ornaments over time. This figure carries metal elements consistent with that care, reflecting the attention it received across its life in a Yoruba household in Nigeria.

05/09/2026

LOBI ARTIST

Standing Figure
Burkina Faso
Late 19th-early 20th century
Wood

Lobi standing figures, known as bateba, were carved to serve the spirits of the household. Each figure was activated through ritual and placed on a home altar to take on specific responsibilities, whether guarding against illness, mediating with ancestors, or addressing a problem brought to the family diviner. Unlike carving traditions that work toward symmetry, Lobi carvers often responded more directly to the needs of the commission, which is why each bateba sits a little differently in its posture and weight. This piece was made in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century in what is now Burkina Faso.

04/30/2026

BAMILEKE ARTIST

Pipe
Cameroon
Late 19th-early 20th century
Copper alloy
Height: 6 in (15.2 cm)

Pipes in the Cameroon Grassfields were objects of rank rather than ordinary smoking tools. Among the Bamileke, a ruler or titled elder would carry a cast copper alloy pipe during court functions and ceremonies, with the material, weight, and decoration speaking directly to his standing within the kingdom. The technical demand of lost-wax casting in this part of Cameroon made such pipes costly to produce, which is part of why they were reserved for those of high position. The imagery on pipes like this one often drew from royal iconography, including human faces, animals, and symbols tied to the chief’s authority.

04/27/2026

YORUBA ARTIST

Ibeji Pair
Nigeria
Late 19th-early 20th century
Wood, beads
Height: 8 3/4 in (22.4 cm)

04/08/2026

YORUBA ARTIST

Kneeling Figure
Nigeria
Late 19th-early 20th century
Wood
Height: 14 3/4 in (37.5 cm)

Provenance:
Ex private collection, New York

04/03/2026

BENALULUA ARTIST
Mortar with legs
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Late 19th-early 20th century
Wood
Height: 6 in (15.2 cm)

Provenance:
Ex Christine Valluet, Paris
Ex private collection, New York

04/01/2026

YORUBA ARTIST
Divination Bowl with acrobats
Nigeria
Late 19th-early 20th century
Wood
Height:5 1/2 in (14 cm)

03/30/2026

New additions to our historical African art collection.
View more on our site.

FANG ARTIST
Figure
Cameroon
Late 19th–early 20th century
Wood
Height: 13 1/2 in (34.3 cm)

Provenance:
Ex collection Ralph Nash, London
Ex private collection, Germany
Ex Pierre Dartevelle, Brussels

Publication:
Christie’s London, 16 October 1979, lot 214

01/19/2026

Our gallery has historically focused on traditional African works. As our program evolves, we are introducing contemporary artists whose practices engage thoughtfully with these histories.

We are pleased to share the work of Touré Coffey, a Jamaican American contemporary artist whose abstract compositions explore memory, identity, and inherited knowledge. Through layered materials and texture, his work engages with tradition not through direct reference, but through sensibility and process.

While abstract in form, Coffey’s work resonates with many of the same ideas that shape historical African art. We are proud to begin sharing his work through Misgana alongside the historical works that remain at the foundation of our program.

Touré Coffey (b. 1965)
Untitled #10, 2025
Acrylic on canvas
91 × 44 cm

Touré Coffey (b. 1965)
Untitled #11, 2025
Acrylic on canvas
20 × 32 cm

Touré Coffey (b. 1965)
Untitled #12, 2025
Acrylic on canvas
20 × 32 cm

01/12/2026

BAULE ARTIST

Standing Figure
Ivory Coast
Late 19th - early 20th century
Wood
Height: 17 inches (43.3 cm)

Provenance:
Ex Private Collection, California
Ex Pace African & Oceanic Art, New York

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Address

New York, NY

Website

http://www.misganaafricanart.com/

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