Reading an Art Price in CFA Francs: Converting to Euros

The West African CFA franc (CFA francs, sometimes written XOF) is pegged to the euro at a fixed rate: 1 euro equals exactly 655.957 CFA francs. That peg does not move from one day to the next, unlike the US dollar, which makes converting a CFA franc price into euros reliable and simple to work out yourself, without relying on an exchange site.

The conversion rule

To convert an amount from CFA francs into euros, divide it by 655.957. To go from euros to CFA francs, multiply by the same number. A few general reference points, purely as examples and not tied to any specific artwork: 100,000 CFA francs come to roughly 152 euros, 1,000,000 CFA francs to roughly 1,524 euros, and 2,000,000 CFA francs to roughly 3,049 euros. These rounded figures are enough for a quick sense of scale; for an exact amount, it is better to redo the calculation with the full fixed rate rather than rounding to 650 or 660, as some online converters do.

Why not the dollar

The CFA franc has no fixed peg against the US dollar: the rate moves daily with the currency markets. A figure given "roughly" in dollars can therefore shift from one week to the next, even though its value in euros stays the same. For a buyer based in the United States, it is usually more useful to convert through the euro first, then apply the day's dollar rate, rather than holding onto a fixed dollar figure that will quickly become outdated.

And for a piece at Ge'eza

This conversion rule is general information, useful for reading any amount correctly. It does not replace the exact price of a piece: at Ge'eza's gallery, every price is given on request from the artwork's page, since the price list has not yet been published. Once that price is confirmed in writing by the team, the same conversion formula can be used to read it in euros if needed. The guide on how art is priced in Dakar explains more broadly what makes one painting's price differ from another.

Asking for a price and paying

Asking for a price means opening the page for the chosen piece in the gallery, or writing directly on WhatsApp at +221 78 660 07 07, naming the exact title of the work. Once the amount is confirmed, payment can be made by Wave, Orange Money, card, or in person for anyone in Dakar. The guide on paying for art in Dakar covers these payment methods and the information to share before paying.