( CNN ) -- African art has long been about more than just tribal masks and traditional carvings , and now contemporary African artists are being recognized globally . The Johannesburg Art Fair recently showcased the works of 400 African contemporary artists , attracting more than 10,000 visitors . Organizer Ross Douglas told CNN there had been an explosion of interest in African art in recent years . `` Africa has always had a strong tribal art and a strong craft component , and that will always stay , he said . `` But that does n't mean there ca n't be a contemporary market existing alongside that , and if you look in South Africa at the contemporary market in the last four or five years , it 's absolutely exploded . `` If you look at the number of young black artists doing well , making a living , it 's extraordinary . Five years ago it just did n't exist . '' But the attention being bestowed on contemporary African art is a relatively new phenomenon . Auction house Bonhams says its New York sale last month was the first commercial auction dedicated solely to contemporary African art in the United States , and it says the UK 's first auction only took place last year . While auction house Phillips de Pury 's Africa art sale and exhibition will take place on May 15 in New York . The sale will include works of contemporary art , photographs , design and editions which reflect the spirit of the continent . Somali sisters journey from civil war to New York fashionistas . Giles Peppiatt , director of African art at Bonhams , said these kinds of sales were still too rare . `` In some ways it 's remarkable -- here we are in 2010 and this is the first auction of its type in New York , '' he told CNN . `` It 's never been done before . Actually I was very surprised by that , '' But he says he 's not surprised by the growing interest in African art . Bonhams says the auction has generated considerable buzz . Prince Yemisi Shyllon , who has an extensive collection of Nigerian art , was one of those in attendance . Shyllon told CNN , `` I do n't promote Nigerian art in terms of the value . I promote in terms of the benefits and the joy it can confer to the world . '' But monetary value is unavoidable at an art auction . About half of the 140 pieces at the Bonhams auction sold , with prices ranging from $ 1,000 to $ 92,000 . The value of African art could increase as international interest develops and the buying pool expands . `` At the moment the majority of the collectors are people who have an interest or contact with Africa , '' said Peppiatt . `` We are n't yet seeing these people buying these works without that connection . `` Look at the other markets -- no one buys a van Gogh because he 's Dutch or because the buyer 's Dutch . It does n't matter where the artist was born or what nationality he was . But I think with the African art it still does matter . It has n't yet broken into the international market . '' Ghana 's beads back in vogue . While the rest of the world is catching up with African art , the artists themselves continue to push artistic boundaries . South African Lawrence Lemaoana was one of the artists exhibiting at last month 's Johannesburg Art Fair . His work is all about challenging the traditional . `` I look at the ideas of stereotypes , and the idea of men sewing and the idea of how that 's a feminine activity ... [ and ask ] how do we subvert that into something that 's really not feminine ? So I am sewing and I am making artwork that 's quite edgy , '' Lemaoana told CNN . `` Artists are not limited to painting and traditional ways of making art . There are other possibilities of speaking a language and finding new and innovative ways of communicating . '' Nkepile Mabuse , Isha Sesay and Mark Tutton contributed to this report .
Market for contemporary African art has exploded in the last five years , says expert . U.S. held its first auction of contemporary African art last month . Artists at Johannesburg Art Fair are pushing the boundaries .