In a heartfelt endeavour to preserve its rich cultural heritage, Senegal successfully halted the auction of precious possessions belonging to its first president, Leopold Sedar Senghor, in France. The collection, including exquisite jewellery, military medals, diplomatic gifts, and gold fountain pens, was set to go under the hammer in Caen, northwestern France. The Senegalese state intervened, urging negotiations with the current owner, leading to a positive resolution.
Senegal’s culture ministry, investing $260,000, struck a deal to acquire these items, emphasizing the importance of preserving the memory and heritage of Senghor. Before becoming president, Senghor was a poet, writer, and professor, championing the anti-colonial “Negritude” movement in the 1930s. He also fought for France during World War II and was the first African to be admitted to the prestigious Academie Francaise.
One notable piece, an 18-carat gold Order of the Nile necklace, received by Senghor in 1967 after a speech at Cairo University, was among the items preserved. Senegalese President Macky Sall played a pivotal role, urging discussions with the auctioneer, leading to a “friendly agreement” where all parties were pleased with the outcome.
This successful preservation effort echoes Senegal’s commitment to honoring its past, celebrating its cultural luminaries, and safeguarding the legacy of Senghor, a remarkable figure in African history.
Past possesions sold at Aution
It is worth noting that a 1956 painting by French modernist Pierre Soulages that once belonged to the poet, intellectual, and former president of Senegal Léopold Sédar Senghor, who died in 2001, sold at French auction house Caen Enchères for €1.5 million ($1.8 million), against an estimate of €800,000.
Senghor, an advocate of modern art during his tenure as Senegal’s president from 1960–80, purchased the abstract painting titled Painting 81 x 60 cm, December 3, 1956, directly from the artist during a studio visit in Paris the year that it was completed. The canvas features the painter’s signature 1950s style of black impasto brushstrokes on a neutral background, prior to his outrenoir period in the late 1970s.
The work had long been displayed in Senghor’s office in Verson, France, where he and his wife, Colette, lived in the 1980s following the end of his presidency, according to Caen. It passed onto Senghor’s sister-in-law in 2019 following Colette’s death, and then to the anonymous seller for the Caen auction, who is not a relative of the Senghors.