Artcurial Unveils Jean-Jacques Rotthier’s African and Oceanic Art Collection

The Jean-Jacques Rotthier Collection of African and Oceanic Art
Shaped by extensive travels throughout Africa—from Ethiopia and Ghana to Mali, where Jean-Jacques Rotthier lived for a time—and enriched over several decades through exchanges with leading scholars and specialists, this collection stands firmly within the tradition of the great private collections assembled during the twentieth century. This first sale presents a carefully selected group of works of outstanding quality, offering an initial glimpse into the richness and coherence of the collection as a whole.

The quality and coherence of the works assembled by Jean-Jacques Rotthier reflect the vision and collecting approach of this distinguished Belgian connoisseur. Acquired primarily in Belgium, the majority originate from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The collection also bears witness to his fascination with the Inland Niger Delta in Mali, the Djenné-Jeno and Bankoni traditions, as well as the Nok and Sokoto cultures of northern Nigeria.

Built without speculative ambition or any desire for ostentation, the collection was guided above all by curiosity, sensitivity and an uncompromising eye for quality. It echoes the words of Frans Olbrechts, who wrote: “to set out in search not of gold, ivory, ebony or radium, but of that which may one day bring Africa greater renown than all the mineral treasures concealed within its depths: its art and its artists.”

Masterpieces of African Art
Among the highlights of the collection is an exceptional group of four Songye figures, led by an imposing monumental figure with an oversized head, studded with copper nails and animated by a striking sculptural treatment of the eyes (est. €40,000–60,000). A rare Luba Mwanza-style ceremonial sceptre surmounted by two female figures (est. €40,000–60,000) further exemplifies the quality of the collection.

The collection also reveals Jean-Jacques Rotthier's enduring fascination with the ancient cultures of West Africa through an important group of Djenné-Jeno terracottas from Mali and Nok sculptures from Nigeria. Another major discovery of the sale is an exceptionally rare Kuyu janiform figure, collected in the Congo between 1910 and 1930 by Aristide Courtois, which ranks among the most remarkable works in the collection (est. €40,000–60,000).

In the words of Stéphane Aubert, Vice-President of Artcurial: “Beyond the quality of the works themselves, what emerges here is a way of seeing—a coherence of vision and a level of discernment that define the true strength of this collection.”

Information
Auction
Jean-Jacques Rotthier’s Collection
Art from Africa and Oceania
Tuesday 8 September 2026 - 4:00pm

Exhibition
Artcurial, Paris
September 4, from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM
September 5, from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM
September 6, from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM
September 7, from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM
September 8, by appointment

Experts
Bernard de Grunne, Jan-Joris Visser

Contact
Thomas Loiseaux
+33 1 42 99 16 55