Video Loading
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 11
John MaduAll day breakfast cafe2024
2024
$21,504.14
£16,071.12
€18,000
CA$29,666.04
A$32,493.51
CHF 17,107.84
MX$387,799.25
NOK 218,024.05
SEK 199,306.84
DKK 137,198.58
About the Item
John Madu
Contemporary Figurative Work - A Dialogue with Modern Art History
This work by John Madu belongs to the series developed through a direct engagement with Vincent van Gogh, a body of work that has achieved major institutional recognition: the series has been acquired by the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, marking a historic moment in the contemporary reinterpretation of the Dutch master from an African perspective.
Madu constructs an interior scene that consciously references Van Gogh's visual universe - the yellow room, the swirling floor, The Starry Night presented as a painting within the painting - not as a stylistic quotation, but as a critical and cultural intervention.
At the center of the composition are three African figures seated around a table: silent, introspective presences that occupy the space with natural authority. Through this work, Madu enacts a decisive shift in perspective: the legacy of Western modernism is absorbed, inhabited, and reformulated by subjects historically excluded from the canon.
Institutional and Artistic Significance
The acquisition of the Van Gogh-related series by the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam represents a high-level institutional validation and firmly positions John Madu within the international contemporary art landscape. His practice is distinguished by conceptual clarity, painterly strength, and a coherent visual language that ensures long-term relevance.
Collecting Interest
This work presents several key elements of interest for a structured collection:
inclusion within a museum-acquired series
direct dialogue with modern art history
strong curatorial framework
high pictorial and compositional quality
coherence with institutional and museum-oriented narratives
It is not a decorative piece, but a culturally informed acquisition capable of engaging with historically established twentieth-century works and with current discourses on contemporary African art.
Conclusion
The acquisition of this work represents the opportunity to integrate into a collection a piece belonging to a cycle already recognized at museum level, by an artist who has entered the heart of Western art history in order to redefine its boundaries.
For confidential information regarding availability, conditions, and acquisition terms, the gallery remains at your disposal for direct contact
- Creator:John Madu (1983, Nigerian)
- Creation Year:2024
- Dimensions:Height: 39.38 in (100 cm)Width: 31.5 in (80 cm)Depth: 1.19 in (3 cm)
- More Editions Sizes:unicaPrice: $21,504
- Medium:
- Movement Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Roma, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2924217362682
About the Seller
New to 1stDibs
Joined in the past six months.
No Reviews Yet
Vetted Professional Seller
Every seller passes strict standards for authenticity and reliability
Established in 2004
1stDibs seller since 2025
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Roma, Italy
- Return Policy
More From This Seller
View AllSamson and Deliah
Located in Roma, IT
OLAMILEKAN ABATAN
Samson and Delilah, 2024
Charcoal pencil, acrylic paint and fabric on paper
156 × 107 cm - unique work
Published on the cover of the official exhibition cat...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Academic Portrait Paintings
Materials
Cotton, Paper
Speed Skater
By Andy Warhol
Located in Roma, IT
This Andy Warhol artwork belongs to one of the least obvious-but most intelligent-areas of his production: the body in motion, sport, energy as an icon.
Why this is a "connoisseur...
Category
Late 20th Century Pop Art Figurative Prints
Materials
Screen
Les amis Pehuls jour de fète
By Malick Sidibe
Located in Roma, IT
This photograph by Malick Sidibé is not decoration: it is art history.
Sidibé was the greatest African photographer who ever lived.
Not "one of the greatest" - the reference poin...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Black and White Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Soirèe depart djim
By Malick Sidibe
Located in Roma, IT
Malick Sidibé - Soirée départ Djim, 1967
This is not a decorative photograph.
It is living history, crystallized at the exact moment when urban Africa became aware of itself.
...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Feminist Black and White Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Nuit de Noel
By Malick Sidibe
Located in Roma, IT
Why this Malick Sidibé photograph is an excellent investment
This photograph by Malick Sidibé is not simply beautiful.
It is historically grounded, culturally central, and financ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Old Masters Black and White Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Ndebele Abstract 32
By Esther Mahlangu
Located in Roma, IT
This painting by Esther Mahlangu is a powerful and harmonious circular composition, built on concentric geometries and bold primary colors-yellow, red, blue, green, black, and white....
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Geometric Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Cotton Canvas
You May Also Like
Beginning of New Story 2
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure
FREE Shipping Worldwide
Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria
This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy.
Accompanied by a Certificate of Authent...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Untitled
Located in PARIS, FR
Mixed Technique
Collage, Textile, Acrylic on Canvas
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Textile, Acrylic
On A Date
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure
FREE Shipping Worldwide
Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria
This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy.
Accompanied by a Certificate of Authent...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Outstanding
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
I have made the world where I am coming from a stepping stone in my life's journey.
I believe in myself and keep striving to be the better version of myself.
I read and reading has p...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$2,000 Sale Price
20% Off
Cafe Breakfast
By Matthew Crane
Located in Buffalo, NY
Matthew Crane is a figurative painter whose work seeks to find a balance between violence and grace. As a self taught artist, Matthew merges abstract exp...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Solidarity
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
In the ethereal realm of "Solidarity," Dennis Onofua captures a moment of profound connection and unity between two female figures. The artwork, a testam...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Enamel
$4,000 Sale Price
20% Off











