Buying Art on a Trip Home to Dakar: Timing It Right

A trip home to Dakar for the holidays remains the best chance to see a gallery in person before buying a piece, since it becomes possible to compare paintings on site, ask questions directly, then either carry the work home in a suitcase or have it shipped later. A few weeks is usually plenty of time to organise the whole process.

Planning a visit during the trip

Ge'eza's gallery can be visited without an appointment, during restaurant hours, Tuesday to Sunday, 8am to 10pm. For someone home for the holidays, it helps to plan a visit early in the trip rather than on the last day: that leaves time to come back a second time if a piece catches your eye, or to wait for the team's answer on a specific question before deciding. The villa that houses the gallery, at Point E, suits an unhurried visit between lunch and coffee.

What is on show at the gallery

The gallery currently shows work by Ibou Diagne, Saadio and Tampidaro, three artists brought together for the exhibition "Lien commun" at the IFAN Théodore Monod Museum, 16 to 31 October 2025. Every canvas has a page with its exact title, technique, dimensions, year and status. Seeing the work in person, under the light of the gallery lounge, makes it possible to judge the real size and texture, two things a photo never quite captures.

Asking for the price in person

Even when visiting the gallery in person, prices are not displayed: they are given on request from the artwork's page, or directly from a member of the team on site. This takes only a few minutes and is also the chance to get useful details about the piece (condition, provenance, technique). There is nothing wrong with coming back a second time before deciding, especially if more than one canvas has stayed on your mind after a first visit.

Carrying the work home or shipping it

Once a choice is made and payment handled, by Wave, Orange Money, card or in person, there are two ways to leave with the piece. The first is to carry it home directly in a suitcase, if the format and the return flight allow it. The second is to have it shipped later, on request for a quote, which avoids travelling with a fragile or bulky canvas. The guide on shipping artwork from Dakar covers the timing and the information needed to arrange that shipment, including after you are back abroad.

Either way, the piece leaves with a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist, worth keeping with the invoice.

Pairing the visit with a family lunch

For many people home for the holidays, a gallery visit happens naturally around a lunch or dinner with relatives, since the restaurant and the gallery share the same villa at Point E. That makes it possible to combine a reunion with the chance to choose a piece, without adding extra stops to an often busy trip. The guide on hosting visiting family in Dakar has more ideas for organising that kind of group outing during a trip home.

If time is tight before you leave

When the return flight is close and a piece has not yet been paid for, it is still possible to finish the purchase remotely once back abroad: ask for the price, pay, then have the piece shipped later. That avoids rushing a decision simply because a flight is coming up, while still leaving the door open to receive the piece at home within the following weeks.

Using the trip to compare a few galleries

A stay of several weeks also leaves time to visit more than one place before deciding. Dakar has several galleries, each with its own selection, and comparing two or three addresses during the trip helps put what Ge'eza's gallery shows into perspective against the rest of the local scene. That comparison is not required, but it often helps confirm a choice rather than second-guess it, especially for a first purchase made during a trip home.

Planning the trip back

For anyone planning to carry a piece home in a suitcase, it is worth thinking about this before buying: some formats fit easily into checked luggage with the right packing, while others need a sturdier case that is hard to improvise at the last minute. Asking about the packing options available at the gallery before the flight date avoids having to choose, at the airport, between leaving without the piece or exposing it to poorly protected transport.

Before you travel

To plan a visit, ask for the price of a piece, or arrange shipping, write to +221 78 660 07 07 or to geezacultures@gmail.com before you arrive, so the team can make time for you during your stay. The gallery stays open the same hours throughout your trip, with no booking required.