Art and the Two Hard Problems: The Story of an African Collection

By Emile Stipp

Part memoir, part art historical account of Stipp's world-renowned collection of contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora, featuring full-color reproductions of artworks

In this illustrated memoir, collector Emile Stipp posits that a deep engagement with art can help us solve the two hard problems of human existence: consciousness and conscience. Having grown up under apartheid, Stipp lived through the transformation of South African society into a democracy. He came to regard art as a vehicle for social enlightenment, and began to amass a collection of contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora, with an emphasis on video art and photography.
In Art and the Two Hard Problems, Stipp proposes a philosophical framework for understanding contemporary art through an in-depth discussion of artworks from his collection. Featured artists include David Goldblatt, Zanele Muholi, William Kentridge, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Serge Alain Nitegeka, Paul Mpagi Sepuya and Portia Zvavahera.
South African CEO and collector Emile Stipp is known for his tireless promotion of local and international African art.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1646570596
• ISBN13: 9781646570591
• Release Date: November 2026
• Publisher: Marquand Books
• Length: 308 Pages