Favourite Marketplaces to Buy African Art Now
There has never been a better time to buy art online. The Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns have forced everyone to be more comfortable buying and selling online. And the art market has been no different. Online art sales in general went from being just 9% of total sales in 2019 to 25% in 2020! And in 2021, Imo Dara’s annual survey of African art collectors revealed that collectors spent 75% of their art budgets buying art online in 2021.
This fundamental shift is undoubtedly an unprecedented opportunity for African artists and galleries as it opens up access even more…access that is still much needed for Africans and Africans in Diaspora to compete in the global art space.
“The pandemic only accelerated for the art world the inevitable; that art would mainly be sold and bought online… Within the African context, the levels of exposure, access, and revenue opportunities that online platforms grant galleries and artists remain a compelling reason for them to stay committed to this model.”
There are many businesses already selling African art online, and several have had their online platforms up some time before the pandemic hit in early 2020. But while buying art online is slowly become a norm, it’s still difficult to do so because there are just so many disparate, little businesses selling African art online. For a buyer, how do you choose? Finding some of these platforms is difficult because they don’t exactly stand out in search engines, or by brand name. And trusting them to deliver on what’s promised in the pictures while keeping your payment details safe is another concern.
For now though, let’s tackle how to find them. There are several African art platforms that we’ve followed for a while; and now’s the time to share them. All of them remain small and niche, but each are promising avenues to find authentic, unique art from emerging African artists.
Take a look below at some of our favorite platforms to buy African art.
Aya Editions
There are two particularly special things about Aya Editions. The first is how tightly curated its art is. The founders have used a model where each month, they pick particular West African artists and some of their unique works, and sell them on the marketplace. They keep these editions small, but you can trust that each edition brings something new and fresh.
The second special thing is that it showcases works from only emerging West African female artists, arguably the most unrepresented group of artists in any art space.
“We want to see more women thrive and that includes having more art by women in our homes and yours, all around the world. The way for us to do that is to provide limited edition affordable prints that introduce you to artists and enable you to start to build or expand your art collection.” ~ Aya Editions
Aya Editions currently sells prints on their marketplace, but they aim to venture into original artworks in the near future.
MOMAA
MOMAA a.k.a. Museum of Modern African Art Gallery and Lifestyle aims to help ‘buyers discover the world of African contemporary art’. They are perhaps the most popular organization featured on this list. Even though they are still niche (as would be expected if focusing on only African art), they still offer a well-rounded host of services. This is definitely a plus for buyers because MOMAA can take care of everything all at once - providing the original artwork, authentication proof, packaging, delivery and even storage and installations.
These rounded services make MOMAA a clear differentiator. What’s more, prospective buyers have a lot of options from emerging African artists to explore and choose from amongst the featured artwork. Interestingly, MOMAA also offers a small but unique collection of furniture (like tables, chairs, clothe racks), by African designers. These are sure to be conversation-starters in any home.
“In selecting Artists we consider icons of Contemporary Art, MoMAA looked at the contributions these African Contemporary Artists have made to the Aesthetic and Cultural history of African Art to include their role in cementing African Contemporary Art on the international stage as we know it today” ~ MOMAA
Aworan’ka
Aworan’ka is a marketplace with an interesting model because they work directly with galleries rather than with individual artists. This marketplace helps galleries specializing in African art sell their art online - giving these galleries an additional avenue to reach buyers without the hassle of setting up a website, payment systems, and security.
Aworan’ka carries a wide range of artworks - from paintings, works on paper, photography, and sculptures, so exploring the marketplace is a thrill.
“Our main objective is to organize and give universal access to information that before was segregated and was arduous to find. Aworanka is for art lovers, scholars, collectors, and investors to discover, study, and acquire African art” ~ Aworan’ka
Aworan’ka puts a lot of emphasis on the work they’ve done to verify each piece of art they list on their marketplace, as well as the security of payments on the platform. Plus, they guarantee a 14-day free return in case you don’t like the artwork or you have arising issues. These is sure to give buyers peace of mind - one of the strongest value propositions this marketplace has.
Imo Dara
Imo Dara is unique in this list mainly because the marketplace deals in classic African art - in particular African masks and other artifacts such as musical instruments, jewelry, etc., rather than contemporary art. Also, it’s not technically a marketplace where buyers can purchase the artwork directly from the website, but rather it’s a connector and an educator.
They help connect interested buyers/collectors with dealers who can sell these priceless classic pieces, and and scholars who can provide needed information and reference materials to go with them. This makes the collector understand and appreciate the artwork, while having piece of mind about its authenticity.
“Wisdom and knowledge are good things to have ÌMỌ̀ DÁRA’s mission is to connect art collectors with the world’s leading dealers and scholars, based on a foundation of knowledge; knowledge about the origin, use and distinguishing features of listed pieces. We aim to give collectors unprecedented access to objects, research, cultures and people that matter in African art.” ~ Imo Dara
Imo Dara backs this service up with a rich journal where they discuss issues and trends around African art, and where they even spotlight contemporary artists. And every year, true to their value proposition of knowledge, they survey collectors of African art and publish the findings and insights for public use/education.
Better Shared
Better Shared is a fresh, modern marketplace to buy contemporary artworks from emerging African artists. Their focus on the artists themselves is commendable, with one of their missions being to give fair wages to the artists they work with e.g. they publicly vow to return at least 70% of their profits back to the artist (comparing this to their reported 50% given by most galleries).
“We work directly with each artist, hand-selecting each piece, so you’ll always find the top-quality art you’re looking for here first. Our network of more than 200 artists crosses the continent of Africa and the diaspora across the Caribbean, Northern and Southern America and Europe. Every piece you buy supports the artist’s practice.” ~ Better Shared
The marketplace features both original artworks and prints (including limited editions), and they give some good context through their blog where they feature interviews of some of these artists. They’re also the only marketplace on this list that invites buyers to chat openly with them for free via WhatsApp as they explore the artworks.
Pavillon 54
Pavillon 54 is a digital platform and emerging marketplace that aims to connect buyers and collectors with emerging contemporary African artists.
“Pavillon 54 aims to develop a worldwide ecosystem of partners specialised in modern and contemporary African art. Our goal? To develop the first and foremost platform dedicated to developing the arts and culture of Africa - by Africans, for Africans and for (the rest of) the world, in Africa and in the rest of the world” ~ Pavillon 54
In addition to selling contemporary African art, their mission is to educate the public about the sector and provide access to as much information as possible. As such, they have a rich number of articles in their online magazine.
Pavillion 54 currently has a relatively good collection of original paintings for sale on the platform, but they admit that more is coming as they grow.
Luangisa
Luangisa African gallery is a marketplace that’s quite different from the others on this list because it’s more about artisanal handicrafts and artworks than contemporary and modern art purchased for both pleasure and investment.
The marketplace is truly a fun place to explore. You’ll see original handcrafted creations by Tanzanian locals ranging from artworks, masks, textiles, jewelry, scarves, baskets, games, musical instruments, pillows, furniture, mirrors, lighting…shall we go on?
“We are always developing new products; we work directly with African Artisans to bring the finest African accents to you. The sale of every product on this site directly benefits the artisans who created it, which in turn helps many artisans especially women in Africa in providing the essentials for their families and communities.” ~ Luangisa
Luangisa also has a foundation through which they fund community projects in Tanzania from the proceeds of the marketplace and from their New York store.
The seven marketplaces featured above have their unique strengths, but each provide interesting and valuable options for buyers and collectors of African art to support emerging African artists and artisans. As online platforms become even more popular, more marketplaces are likely to get on our radar…a much needed development so that access to markets is increased even further for African artists.
Words by Adiya | Cover image by Clarissa Rotze being sold on Aya Editions