On Sunday, the 5th of December, an icon of African art passed on. Alan Donovan, the co-founder of African Heritage House, the continent’s first pan-African gallery in Kenya that pioneered craft retail and wholesale operation, was 83.

In a statement released by the management of the African Heritage Estate, Donovan had passed away peacefully in his sleep that Sunday morning at African Heritage House in Athi River at the age of 83.

For many leaders in the African art industry across the continent, Donovan represented a mentor and a beacon of inspiration for his dedication to the promotion of African art. He carried the story of African art and culture all over the world and dedicated his life to the promotion of both historical and contemporary works of African artists.

At his funeral, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed called him a cultural icon whose contribution to preserving and discovering African culture was unmatched.

“Alan to me was a university of culture and heritage," she said.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s legendary artist and gallerist Chief Nike Okundaye on hearing of Donovan’s passing, said, “I am who I am and what I am now because he was one of the people God used greatly to shape my life and bring me this far.”

On his part, the former dean of School of Law at Strathmore University Prof Luis Franceschi, mourned him as a legend, writing on Twitter: "Alan Donovan, a man in love with the African soul, soil and sound, a wonderful human being, a defender of African art and African artists."

Here are five (5) facts that point to the impact of Alan Donovan and the African Heritage House on African art.

1. Alan Donovan first encountered Africa on July 4 1967 when he was stationed as a relief officer with the US State Department during the Nigerian-Biafra war. He resigned from this position after two years and traversed the continent before settling in Kenya where he co-founded the African Heritage Gallery with Kenya’s late first vice-president Joseph Murumbi and his wife, the late Sheila Murumbi in 1972.

2. Between 1989 and 1994, he built the African Heritage House, whose architecture he modeled after pre-colonial African edifices like the Great Mosque of Djenne in Mali and the Swahili houses of Coastal East Africa, among others he encountered during his travels across the continent. The architectural masterpiece contains a priceless collection of African art he has collected over the years.

3. The African Heritage House is reputed to be the continent’s first pan-African gallery in Nairobi and pioneered craft retail and wholesale operation on the continent. African Heritage became the largest exporter of arts and crafts from Africa to the rest of the world for several decades.

4. For over four decades, Donovan organized and curated exhibitions all around the world to showcase Africa’s rich cultural legacy, often taking with him on world tours models, dancers, acrobats, and musicians. Also an author, he is credited as a man who spent his life documenting and telling stories of Africa in many newspapers and books including My journey through African heritage, African Elegance, An American in Africa, and 'Black Beauty Through the Ages'.

5. Alan Donovan was a Yoruba Chief, Chief Babalaje of Ido-Osun, bestowed upon him in March 2019 by Fellow Yoruba Chiefs; Chief Nike Okundaye and Chief Muraina Oyelami from Oshogbo. This event was witnessed by Hon. Amina Mohammed, Cabinet Secretary for Sports and Culture of Kenya.