Fine African Art
African Art in Italy
Dalton Somaré is a gallery based in Milan specializing in classical African art and ancient Indo-Buddhist art, and represents a point of reference for African art in Italy within an international context.
For over thirty years, the gallery has been dedicated to the selection of sculptures distinguished by their historical importance, formal quality, and authenticity, contributing to the recognition of African art within the Italian and European cultural landscape.
A gallery in Milan
Located in the historic center of Milan, a cosmopolitan city and one of the major European capitals of art and design, the gallery offers a curated selection of works from Sub-Saharan Africa, with particular attention to the great sculptural traditions of regions such as Mali, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Gabon, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The gallery invites collectors and scholars to engage with African art not only as historical testimony, but as a living visual language capable of dialogue with modern and contemporary art.
Research and international presence
The activity of Dalton Somaré extends beyond the gallery space through participation in major international art fairs, including:
These events contribute to positioning African art within a global framework and reinforce the gallery’s role in connecting Italian collecting with the international art market.
African art and contemporary perspective
African art played a fundamental role in the development of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century. Today, its forms continue to resonate with contemporary visual language.
The gallery’s approach is based on this continuity, presenting African sculpture as both historical heritage and active presence within the broader discourse of modern and contemporary art.
Further exploration
- African art sculptures
- ancient Asian and Indo-Buddhist art
- African art archive
- Asian art archive
- international art fairs
A Rigorous Selection of African Masterpieces
The sculptures we present are the result of extensive research and rigorous selection. Beyond considerations of period and authenticity, our focus is on the highest level of formal quality.
Each work embodies the balance between historical significance and aesthetic excellence, offering collectors and scholars exemplary pieces that reflect the richness and diversity of African artistic traditions.
The Gallery’s research is also documented through a series of Publications dedicated to African art
Fine African Art Gallery in Milan. From Classical Sculpture to Modern Influence
African art is one of the most significant discoveries of the early 20th century, profoundly shaping the development of modern and contemporary art. Its revolutionary aesthetic language deeply influenced the European Avant-Garde, inspiring movements such as Primitivism and transforming artistic expression at its core.
This impact can be seen in the work of artists such as Pablo Picasso and Amedeo Modigliani, who drew directly from the forms and expressive power of African sculpture to redefine Western artistic traditions.
African Sculpture and Its Dialogue with Modern Art
The sculptures presented by our gallery document and make explicit this long-established relationship between African art and contemporary art. At the same time, through their antiquity and stylistic rigor, they stand as outstanding examples of African Classicism.
Far from being merely “primitive,” these works reveal sophisticated systems of abstraction, proportion, and symbolic representation. Their formal strength and conceptual clarity continue to resonate within contemporary artistic practices.
Historic Centers of African Art
These sculptures originate from the major historical centers of classical African art in Sub-Saharan and Equatorial Africa, including Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Gabon, and Democratic Republic of Congo.
It is in these regions that some of the most important works of ancient African art were created, establishing its prominent place within the broader context of extra-European art and its fundamental role in the artistic revolution that reshaped European art in the early 20th century.
Pathways in African art
These focused groups connect works by coherent provenance and sculptural tradition, helping readers move through key areas of classical African art.
Gabon: Kota, Punu and Lumbu
A concise group devoted to reliquary figures and masks from Gabon, between ancestor memory, idealised faces and ritual performance.
Ivory Coast: Baule, Dan and Senufo
This group brings together works from distinct traditions, linked by refined proportions, expressive force and ritual or social function.
- Baule male figure, Ivory Coast
- Baule female figure, Ivory Coast
- Baule portrait mask, Ivory Coast
- Dan Deanglé mask, Ivory Coast
- Dan Toura mask, Ivory Coast
- Kpelye Senufo mask, Ivory Coast
Congo and the Kongo area
Selected works document initiation masks, ancestor figures and power sculptures from the Democratic Republic of Congo and the wider Kongo cultural area.
