Buying a Painting in Dakar: From Artwork Page to Certificate

Buying a painting in Dakar at Ge'eza works in three steps: you ask for the price from the artwork's page, the team replies on WhatsApp or by phone with the details and the certificate, then you pay by Wave, Orange Money, card or in person, and either collect the painting at Point E or have it shipped on request. The gallery, set inside a villa at 656 avenue Birago Diop, currently shows canvases by Saadio and from the Lien commun hang, with prices given on request.

Why a painting, and why through the gallery

A painting is first chosen by eye: a colour, a composition, a texture that holds your attention longer than the others. Before thinking about price or where it will hang, it helps to look at several canvases, come back to the ones that stay in your mind, and give yourself time to decide. Ge'eza's gallery can be visited without an appointment, Tuesday to Sunday, 8am to 10pm, and the gallery lounge suits that kind of unhurried visit, between a coffee and a meal.

What is on show right now

The gallery currently shows four canvases. "Figures (2025)," by Saadio, in mixed media on canvas. "Sans titre I" and "Sans titre II," from the Lien commun hang, acrylic on canvas, 2025. And "Foule," an oil on canvas from 2025, a crowd rendered in touches of colour. Each can be seen in the gallery lounge, and its page is listed on the gallery page. What is on display can change between visits, so confirm a piece is still available before travelling for it.

Step 1: ask for the price from the artwork's page

Prices are not posted online while the price list is not yet published: they are given on request. The first step is simply to open the page for the painting you are interested in and ask for its price, which takes barely a minute. You can also ask the team directly on WhatsApp if you are already on site, or write to +221 78 660 07 07 naming the work.

Step 2: the reply by WhatsApp or phone

The team replies by WhatsApp or phone, with the price, the useful details (technique, dimensions, condition) and the certificate of authenticity that will travel with the piece. It is also the moment to ask questions: how the canvas was made, how long it has been shown, whether it belongs to a set such as the Lien commun hang. A good gallery takes the time to explain, without pushing you to decide on the spot.

Step 3: pay, then collect or have it shipped

Once you have decided, payment is by Wave, Orange Money, card or in person. The painting is then collected at Point E, during the same hours as the restaurant, or shipped outside Dakar on request if you are heading abroad. Either way, the piece leaves with a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist, confirming it is genuinely theirs. For more on what that document covers, see the certificate of authenticity.

What a painting costs

Prices are never the same from one piece to the next: they depend on the artist, the format, the technique and the time invested. Ge'eza does not yet publish a price list, and gives each price on request, in writing, so you have a clear answer before deciding. If you are planning a first purchase and want a wider sense of how a price is built, the guide buying contemporary art in Dakar covers those points in more depth.

Hanging and caring for your painting

Once a painting is home, a few simple habits protect it over time: keep it out of direct sunlight, watch the humidity, especially during the rainy season, and hang it at eye level under soft rather than harsh light. Keep the certificate and the invoice together in one folder, useful for insurance or any future resale.

If you are torn between two canvases

It sometimes happens that two paintings stay in your mind at the same time, rather than one clear favourite. In that case, it helps to picture each one on the actual wall you have in mind, at the size it will really be, rather than comparing them side by side in the gallery lounge. Ask the team how each piece relates to the artist's other work, and whether it belongs to a set, like the Lien commun hang: a canvas that pairs naturally with another already in your home can tip the choice. There is no need to decide on the spot. Come back a second time if you can, ideally at a different hour, since the light in the room changes through the day and can change how a painting reads.

Coming to look before you decide

Nothing replaces seeing a piece in person: its real size, its texture, the way light in the gallery lounge moves across it. If you are at Point E for lunch or dinner, take a moment to walk past the works before or after the meal. For any question about a particular painting, write on WhatsApp to +221 78 660 07 07 or to geezacultures@gmail.com, naming the piece.