More than 1,000 African art pieces set to hit the auction block this month following years of controversy surrounding the collection’s connection to Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, was canceled when the owner filed for bankruptcy.
Sam Njunuri, a Houston real estate agent, planned to sell the collection in a public auction to settle a 2022 court judgment worth nearly $1 million but filed for Chapter 13. Due to health issues, he attended the postponed event but had a buddy speak in his place.
Regarding the bankruptcy case, Njunuri and Reid remained silent, but they stated that their ultimate objective was to put the artwork on display at an art museum.
Darlene Jarrett and Sylvia Jones sued Sam Njunuri 2017 after their furniture and other things were removed from a Houston-area property they agreed to rent from him with the locks on the rental changed.
The court records indicate that plaintiffs have been unable to recover their property, resulting in the loss of tangible and irreplaceable household heirlooms. Nearly two years after the judgment was rendered in early 2022, he claimed Jarrett and Jones had yet to receive any money.
“He’s made no effort to try to resolve this himself. He’s got 1,300 pieces there, and he could have done something with them to satisfy the judgment,” said Sam Walker, Jones’ representative, in a statement.
Following a Houston Chronicle investigation, it was discovered that Njunuri never provided any documentation attesting to his ownership of the items or outlining their age, provenance, or nation of origin. Furthermore, Njunuri must be made aware of the artwork’s full value.
The artwork was owned by Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis before its relocation to the office at 6464 Savoy. In 2018, the County Commissioner’s Court granted permission for 14 works from the collection to be publicly displayed at county buildings.
However, an investigation by the Houston Chronicle revealed that Ellis’ office later received more than 1,400 pieces without changing the terms of the agreement. Ellis’ office also had to pay hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to transport and preserve the art as well as renovate a warehouse in south Houston where the pieces were being kept.
The controversial collection of bronze, clay, and wooden sculptures, once owned by a Harris County commissioner, will be sold in a court-ordered auction by Harris County Precinct 5 Constable Ted Heap.