Chris Ofili’s 1997 masterpiece Blossom sets the art world alight as it prepares for its auction debut with a potential £1-1.5 million price tag

14 August 2025

Blossom: ‘One of the most exciting paintings I’ve worked with in a long time,’ said Tessa Lord of Christie’s. Photograph: Courtesy David Zwirner

Chris Ofili’s celebrated 1997 work Blossom a striking portrait that fuses African symbolism, sacred iconography, and pop culture will make its auction debut at Christie’s London on October 15, with an expected hammer price of £1 million to £1.5 million. Rendered with Ofili’s signature materials including glitter, resin, and elephant dung, the painting features a woman with an exposed breast adorned with an orange flower nestled into her afro, the title Blossom inscribed vertically into spheres of dung a testament to his bold, textured style and symbolic depth.

This work holds special significance in Ofili’s artistic trajectory. Painted just a year before he became the first Black artist and the first painter in over a decade to win the Turner Prize in 1998, Blossom captures a pivotal moment in his career. It had been part of the esteemed collection of the late Danish patron Ole Faarup for 50 years, alongside works by Peter Doig, Jean‑Michel Basquiat, and others. The auction proceeds will benefit the Ole Faarup Art Foundation, which supports emerging artists in Denmark and internationally.

Blossom has graced major exhibitions including a mid-career retrospective at Tate Britain in 2010 and a prominent showcase at the New Museum in New York during 2014–15. Tessa Lord, head of post-war and contemporary art at Christie’s London, expressed high praise, calling it “one of the most exciting paintings I’ve worked with in a long time” and highlighting its rarity and the exceptional quality of the surface texture and resin layering.

Notably, this marks the first time Blossom will be offered at auction, increasing its cultural and market cachet. Christie’s will be selling it alongside four works by Peter Doig, also auctioning for the first time, further enriching the sale’s prestige.

Ofili’s work is renowned for its layered complexity, blending vibrant visual language with unconventional materials. The elephant dung elements echo his earlier provocative pieces, such as The Holy Virgin Mary, which sold for £2.9 million in 2015 also at Christie’s highlighting the continued power and price relevance of his oeuvre.

As Blossom prepares to make its public auction debut this October, it stands poised not only as a powerful artwork but as a bridge between legacy and future art movements. Its provenance, exhibition history, and emotional resonance promise to captivate collectors and art lovers alike.