Tesfaye Urgessa
Representing: Ethiopia
Best known for: A striking fusion of traditional Ethiopian symbols and motifs with Neo-Expressionist painting techniques
Gallery affiliation: Addis Fine Art, Saatchi Yates
Most wanted: Urgessa’s large-scale, semi-abstract paintings depicting domestic scenes have fueled the recent surge in international attention for his work. Stoic, sinewy, and sometimes crudely segmented, the figures in these works rarely appear to feel at home despite their environs. The Addis Ababa-based artist has said that his focus on the Black body stems from his experience living as an immigrant in Germany for several years. Indeed, the psychological tension of looking and being looked at underpins his compositions—as viewers gaze into a private space, the figures inside gaze back out or to the side, but rarely at each other. A series that he continues to expand on is “No Country for Young Men,” which started as a reaction to the Syrian refugee crisis. These powerful exodus paintings depict queues of young men leaving their homes in search of a better future. The latest and largest in this series will go on view in Venice.
Price points: Saatchi Yates held a solo show of Urgessa’s work in 2021—his first in the U.K.—with paintings priced between $80,000 and $150,000. Also in 2021, Addis Fine Art sold out its booth of works on paper by the artist, all priced at £10,000 (about $13,700). The following year, Saatchi Yates showed his work in a Miami pop-up, coinciding with an exhibition of three of his works at the influential Rubell Museum, which acquired them for an undisclosed amount. Paintings currently range between $50,000 to $250,000, according to his galleries.
Up next: Saatchi Yates will present a spring exhibition of his work in London, surveying pieces created between 2022 and 2024. He is also working toward a major museum show that will be announced next year.
Also worth knowing: The 41-year-old is the first artist to represent Ethiopia at the Venice Biennale; this year marks the nation’s debut in the event.
