Gallery ILÉ Proudly Represents | LÉONCE RAPHAËL AGBODJELOU

Gallery ILÉ is proud to announce its representation of

Léonce Raphaël Agbodjelou, one of the preeminent and most critically acclaimed photographers emerging from the Republic of Benin.

Born in Porto-Novo in 1965, Léonce’s creative journey was greatly influenced by his late father, the world-renowned photographer Joseph Moise Agbodjelou (1912-2000). Today, a celebrated artist in his own right, Léonce favors the use of medium format films and natural daylight, to create images that not only capture Benin’s ever evolving cultural zeitgeist, but constitute a vibrant interpretation of the experiences of a nation caught between tradition and progress.

In his latest body of work entitled ZANGBETO | The Night Crawlers,

Agbodjelou unveils 7 exceptional new photographic works,that pay

a vibrant homage to the cult of Zangbeto, one of Benin's most pivotal animist entity.

Each photographic print is numbered and limited at 5 editions worldwide,

and is accompanied with a holographically sealed Certificate of Authenticity

delivered by the prestigious house of Hahnemühle.

The Gallery ILÉ retains worldwide exclusivity

regarding both the formats and the finishings.

The collection ZANGBETO | The Night Crawlers

by Léonce Raphaël Agbodjelou is first being showcased online,

in anticipation of our inaugural new gallery space in Amsterdam,

opening in February 2025.

SYNOPSIS

Léonce Raphaël Agbodjelou initially garnered critical acclaim with the now famed photographic series, "Egungun", "The Muscle Men" and "Les Demoiselles de Porto-Novo".

Agbodjelou is the founder and director of the first photographic school in Benin and has recently been appointed president of the Photographer's Association of Porto-Novo.

Work by the seminal artist frequently takes center stage during international exhibitions, including this year, Fotografiska | Shanghai and the milestone exhibition Marvellous Realism, the first, largest and most comprehensive exhibition of African film and photography in Asia,

curated by Ekow Eshun, project-led by Lucy MacGarry.

Landmark acquisitions have been made by leading art institutions, including Saatchi London, Seattle Art Museum, Fowler Museum in Los Angeles, Brooklyn Museum in New York, Musée Du Quai Branly in Paris, Vitra Museum in Basel, Fondation Gandur pour l’Art, in Geneva, Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Tel Aviv Museum of Art and London Camden Arts Centre, among others.

Further acquisitions also include the National Gallery of Canada, Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow and Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford.

Works by Léonce Raphaël Agbodjelou, are regularly capturing high bidders at prestigious auction houses, the likes of Drouot and Piasa in Paris, as well as Sotheby’s and Christie’s in London.