An African art collection might finally find a new buyer now that an auction date has been set, again. In April, officials halted a sheriff’s sale after the collection’s owner, Sam Njunuri, filed for bankruptcy.
Njunuri filed bankruptcy under Chapter 13 of the United States Bankruptcy Code on April 4 — the same day as the auction. Officials have scheduled the new sheriff’s sale for July 25.
The collection consists of more than 1,000 sculptures, tapestries and other pieces curated by Njunuri over time. The Chronicle previously reported that in 2022, District Judge Rabeea Sultan Collier ordered Njunuri to pay nearly $1 million to Darlene Jarrett and Sylvia Jones after a 2021 jury verdict in favor of the plaintiffs.
Back in October, Judge Collier signed an order identifying Njunuri’s art collection as assets and slated a sheriff’s sale of the pieces at 6464 Savoy Drive in Houston.
The case dates back to 2015 when Jarrett and Jones entered into a lease agreement with Njunuri to rent a home in the 1700 block of Cleeves Drive in Richmond. Jarrett and Jones said they moved furniture and personal items to Njunuri’s property at the end of July ahead of the “lease commencement” that began on Aug. 15, 2015. But, after returning from a trip to Arkansas around Aug. 15, Jarrett and Jones found their belongings had been either sold or taken, plus the locks on the rental had been changed.
The incident led both women to sue Njunuri in 2017, saying they couldn’t “recover their property and as such have lost both tangible property and irreplaceable household heirlooms.”
Prospective bidders must have cash or certified check funds to cover the full amount of their bid to win the auction. Those paying with a cashier’s check must address it to the Harris County Constable.
“We have had people tell us that it may be difficult for those coming from out of town to get a certified check, in advance of the sale date, for the full amount of what they might bid at the Constable Sale,” officials with Harris County Constable Precinct 5 said in a statement. “We acknowledge and understand the issue, and we have spoken with the Constable’s office about their protocols for the African Art auction.”
In 2021, criminal investigators uncovered that Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis transported and stored the artworks at a warehouse in Sunnyside at taxpayer expense. However, a grand jury opted not to indict Ellis.
The auction will take place at 10 a.m. at 6464 Savoy Drive.
