African and Oceanic Art
Although the department's origins date back to the early 1970s, it was the sale of the James Hooper collection that firmly established Christie’s as a leading force in the market for African, Oceanic and North American art. The mythical Hooper collection, auctioned over several years between 1976 and 1979, continues to embody the spirit of Christie’s auctions in this field today.
With five decades of expertise, dedication and passion, Christie’s has handled some of the most exceptional and sought-after classical artworks from sub-Saharan Africa and the Southern Pacific. Under the leadership of Hermione Waterfield — the first woman appointed Director of an African and Oceanic Art department in 1976 — and William Fagg, a renowned scholar who joined Christie’s following a distinguished curatorial career at the British Museum, Christie's pioneered the inclusion of scholarly notes in its catalogues. This tradition, which underscores the historical and academic significance of African and Oceanic art, remains central to our approach, reinforcing Christie’s long-standing leadership and commitment to excellence in the field.
Dedicated auctions of African and Oceanic Art take place in Paris, New York and online. Our live auctions and exhibitions are held alongside Christie’s Modern & Contemporary Art and Design auctions, reflecting the complementary nature of these categories and the broad appreciation of collectors across disciplines. As innovators, we offer a highly selective and passionate approach to buying and selling in this category, consistently achieving outstanding results and record-breaking prices.
Our global team of specialists is available for free and confidential valuations of individual pieces or entire collections. If you are considering buying or selling at auction, online or through Private Sales, we invite you to get in touch.
With five decades of expertise, dedication and passion, Christie’s has handled some of the most exceptional and sought-after classical artworks from sub-Saharan Africa and the Southern Pacific. Under the leadership of Hermione Waterfield — the first woman appointed Director of an African and Oceanic Art department in 1976 — and William Fagg, a renowned scholar who joined Christie’s following a distinguished curatorial career at the British Museum, Christie's pioneered the inclusion of scholarly notes in its catalogues. This tradition, which underscores the historical and academic significance of African and Oceanic art, remains central to our approach, reinforcing Christie’s long-standing leadership and commitment to excellence in the field.
Dedicated auctions of African and Oceanic Art take place in Paris, New York and online. Our live auctions and exhibitions are held alongside Christie’s Modern & Contemporary Art and Design auctions, reflecting the complementary nature of these categories and the broad appreciation of collectors across disciplines. As innovators, we offer a highly selective and passionate approach to buying and selling in this category, consistently achieving outstanding results and record-breaking prices.
Our global team of specialists is available for free and confidential valuations of individual pieces or entire collections. If you are considering buying or selling at auction, online or through Private Sales, we invite you to get in touch.
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Alexis Maggiar
International Head, African & Oceanic Art, Vice Chairman of Christie's France
Paris, New York
Alexis Maggiar joined Christie’s in June 2020 as International Head for African and Oceanic Art. With over twenty years of experience, he has played a pivotal role in groundbreaking discoveries, set numerous auction records, and contributed decisively to the success of major collection sales in Paris and New York. The extraordinary results achieved in this field stand as a testament to his profound expertise and sharp aesthetic vision. Fueled by a deep passion for the dialogue between arts and cultures, and an unwavering commitment to his field, Alexis has been instrumental in propelling African and Oceanic Art to the highest levels of the art market.
Since his appointment at Christie’s, he has completely reshaped the organization and promotion of sales in this category, implementing a visionary strategy that has yielded unprecedented success. His leadership has driven historic results, with nearly €200 million in auction sales, notably featuring the world record for an African artwork and for an Oceanic artwork. Alexis is now Vice Chairman of Christie's France.
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Avec plus de vingt ans d’expérience, Alexis Maggiar rejoint Christie’s en juin 2020 en tant que Directeur international pour l’art d’Afrique et d’Océanie.
Passionné par le dialogue entre les arts et les cultures, il s’impose comme un acteur clé du marché de l’art dans son domaine. Il joue un rôle déterminant dans les ventes des collections les plus prestigieuses, à Paris comme à New York, et contribue à la redécouverte de chefs-d’œuvre majeurs. Son expertise lui a permis d’établir plusieurs records d’enchères, dont les plus élevés jamais atteints pour une œuvre d’art d’Afrique et une œuvre d’art d’Océanie, avec un total de plus de 200 millions d’euros de ventes depuis son arrivée.
Ses résultats témoignent autant de la qualité de son expertise que de la justesse de sa vision. Grâce à des stratégies innovantes, il redéfinit l’organisation et la promotion des ventes dans cette catégorie chez Christie’s. Il est aujourd’hui Vice-président de Christie’s France.
Victor Teodorescu joined the Christie’s Paris department in 2016, and was appointed Head of Department in 2023. Prior to his position at Christie’s, Victor has worked at the Brussels branch of the German auction house Lempertz.
In his current role, Victor is instrumental in securing important consignments, shaping the strategy of the department and contributing to its successful development. He has contributed to the success of several major collection sales : Barbier-Mueller, Michel Périnet collection, Patrick & Béatrice Caput or Guy Laliberté, or particularly important various owners sales recently marked by numerous world record prices.
Victor received his Magister artium degree in Philosophy and Art History from the Eberhard-Karls University Tübingen. He is a polyglot and fluently speaks French, German, English, Italian, Romanian, Spanish and Dutch.
Based in Paris, Rémy Magusteiro joined the African & Oceanic Art and the Pre-Columbian Art departments as a Cataloguer in 2018 and was appointed as Junior Specialist in 2020. Rémy joined Christie’s after studying Art History, Political Science and Law. After graduation, he worked with Jean-Baptiste Bacquart in his art gallery and in a french auction house. He speaks several languages, including Portuguese and Spanish.
Basé à Paris, Rémy Magusteiro a rejoint le département d’Arts d’Afrique, d’Océanie et des Amériques et le département d’art précolombien comme catalogueur en 2018. Il a été nommé spécialiste junior en 2020. Rémy a rejoint Christie’s après des études d’histoire de l’art, sciences politiques et droit. Après l’obtention de son diplôme, il a travaillé avec Jean-Baptiste Bacquart dans sa galerie d’art et dans une maison de vente aux enchères. Il parle plusieurs langues, dont le portugais et l’espagnol.
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