Actor Jesse Williams, known for his role on Grey's Anatomy and recognized as an ARTnews Top 200 collector, has been identified as the consignor behind an Amoako Boafo painting set to go up for auction at Phillips next week. The 2017 oil on paper work titled "Red Dress" depicts Thelma Golden, director and chief curator of New York's recently reopened Studio Museum in Harlem, and carries an estimated value of $150,000 to $200,000.
The artwork, measuring 52 3/8 inches by 56 inches, was prominently featured in the 2022 Boafo solo exhibition "Soul of Black Folks" at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. In the exhibition catalogue, Williams is specifically listed as the lender of the work. However, Phillips's lot listing indicates that the current owner purchased the work directly from the artist, maintaining the standard auction house practice of preserving consignor anonymity in official documentation.
Boafo's market performance has experienced significant fluctuations since its COVID-era peak. The Ghanaian artist has achieved six sales exceeding $1 million, with his auction record established at Christie's Hong Kong in December 2021 when a work sold for $3.4 million. The most recent seven-figure sale occurred at Sotheby's New York in May 2022, where the 2019 painting "Tonica and Adia" achieved $1.13 million. More recently, Boafo's paintings have been trading in the $100,000 to $300,000 range, reflecting the broader market correction in contemporary African art.
This marks the second time in recent months that a work from Williams's collection has appeared at Phillips auction house. In May 2024, Phillips sold a 10-inch by 10-inch figurative portrait by Noah Davis titled "Untitled (Boy with Glasses)" during its modern and contemporary evening sale. That particular work had been included in "Young Blood," an exhibition featuring work by Davis and his older brother, artist and filmmaker Kahlil Joseph, at the Frye Art Museum in Seattle in 2016.
Interestingly, installation photographs from the Seattle exhibition showed a photo credit line for "Untitled (Boy with Glasses)" reading "Collection of Aryn Drake-Lee Williams and Jesse Williams." However, a spokesperson for Williams clarified that the Davis work was actually consigned by Williams's ex-wife, Aryn Drake-Lee, following their 2020 divorce. The couple had been prolific collectors of art from the African diaspora during their marriage, with ARTnews recognizing Williams as a collector to watch in 2021, when he reported owning approximately 250 works.
The upcoming Phillips sale represents another significant moment for both Williams's collecting legacy and the broader market for contemporary African and African diaspora art. As the art market continues to evolve and adjust from its pandemic-era highs, sales like these provide important indicators of collector confidence and market stability. Phillips declined to comment on the new consignment, maintaining their standard policy regarding consignor confidentiality.
