Celebrating our 10th anniversary
1-54 is the first and only international art fair dedicated to contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora.
1-54, founded by Touria El Glaoui, started in 2013 with 17 galleries at Somerset House during Frieze week - attracting international collectors and curators. The fair was a great success; Touria stated that "All the galleries had sold out on the first day! And our success in the UK encouraged us to go to New York. I thought, why not speed up the process of inclusion." The fair has increasingly grown since then. Firstly, it took more space at Somerset house, then expanded in the US in New York; in 2018, it first opened up its African edition in Marrakech and subsequently 1-54 hosted pop-up editions in Paris in close collaboration with Christie's.
‘The atmosphere of all being in the same city at the same time for a cultural experience is amazing.’
— Touria El Glaoui
1-54 + contemporary African art
‘With a platform like 1-54, we have been able to open more people’s minds to think about African art beyond masks and the traditional/classical. It takes time. I see more people going to graduate school to write theses on the African art industry. We are starting to see more progress in terms of sales, visibility of interest and willingness to engage with African art on a deep, deep, level.’
—Touria El Glaoui
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, 1-54 spearheaded the ascent of contemporary African art on the international art market and became a leading voice.
Explore all editions
1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair
1-54 is the first and only international art fair dedicated to contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora. With three editions per year, in London, New York and Marrakech, and a pop-up fair in Paris, the name of the fair, 1-54, draws reference to the fifty-four countries that constitute the African continent.