Louis Vuitton Foundation shines a spotlight on South African art

There is much talk about the globalisation of the contemporary art world, but art from Africa continues to be woefully under-represented.

And despite its all-encompassing title, Louis Vuitton Foundation's Art/Afrique, Le Nouvel Atelier can't hope to show the scope and variety of a continent made up of 54 countries.

Yet although this three-show survey gives a very partial - and some would say flawed - view of African art, it's a good start.

It makes no claims to be comprehensive and within each of its distinct strands there's terrific work from artists who are not often seen in Europe.

The first section is made up of 15 sub-Saharan artists from the Jean Pigozzi Collection of contemporary African art which was built up by the playboy-businessman between 1989-2009 in close association with curator André Magnin.

Though Pigozzi himself visited Africa infrequently, during this period Magnin made extensive repeated field trips and the combination of his energy and discriminating eye - along with Pigozzi's deep pockets - has been instrumental  in launching the reputations of many  of the artists recognised by European dealers.

Pigozzi's collection is both complemented and complicated by the foundation's second show, Being There, devoted to contemporary art from the south and encompassing three generations, all of whom present a more active engagement in South Africa's social and political scene.

These range from the work of leading older figures such as William Kentridge, David Goldblatt, Sue Williamson and Jane Alexander who have immersed themselves in the experience and direct effects of apartheid, through to Zanele Muholi, whose elaborately coiffed self-portraits critique clichéd images of black women, and who has also made an extensive photographic study of the country's lesbian community.

Then there are the observations of "born-free" artists such as Kristin-Lee Moolman who photographs the cool, flamboyantly idiosyncratic and often androgynous style of Johannesburg's township youth.

This sample from across South Africa's burgeoning contemporary art scene lives up to its title by offering a vivid and often unsettling insight into the challenges faced by a nation still struggling to overcome the legacy of its past.

Finally there is a presentation of contemporary works by artists from Africa and from African backgrounds, all of which are owned by the Louis Vuitton Foundation. These represent a wider diaspora and tend to consist of artists with higher international profiles.

Overall, this important initiative by the Louis Vuitton Foundation confirms how much work there is still to be done to ensure that artists from Africa get their proper dues - only then can the art world truly be described as global. - The Daily Telegraph

• Art/Africa: the New Atelier is at Louis Vuitton Foundation, Paris until August 28; Bois de Boulogne, 8 Avenue du Mahatma Gandhi, 75116 Paris.

• This article was originally published in The Times.