Online Art Auctions in Dakar: How They Work at Ge'eza

Ge'eza auctions are timed online sales: you register for free, the team verifies your identity, a personal access code is sent to you, and each bid must beat the previous one by at least the stated increment. A bid placed in the last two minutes extends the sale by two minutes. The winner receives an online payment link, and the work is held until payment, then handed over in Point E or shipped on a quote. No sale is open at the moment.

Why online auctions

Buying a work of art often means being on the spot. Online auctions open the door to collectors who are not in Dakar, and to those who prefer to decide calmly. The principle is simple: one work, a limited time, a price that climbs with each bid, and a history everyone can see.

Ge'eza offers this format alongside regular gallery sales. Works shown in Point E remain available on request, with a price given by the team. Auctions are another way to acquire, for those who enjoy the game of time.

Step 1: register

Registration is free. You provide your name, phone number, email address and country. The team then verifies each participant's identity before allowing bids. This step protects sellers and buyers alike: nobody bids anonymously.

Once your identity is confirmed, a personal access code is sent by email or WhatsApp. It is used to validate each bid, and it is not to be shared.

Step 2: bid

On the day of the sale, each work is presented with a starting price, a bid increment and a duration. The increment is the minimum amount by which you must beat the previous bid: if the current bid is X and the increment is P, the next bid must be at least X + P.

To confirm a bid, you enter your personal code. The bid is added to the history at once, and that history is public and time-stamped. Everyone can see who bid, when and for how much, which keeps the process readable.

The two-minute rule

A timed sale has a well-known flaw: the bid placed in the final second that leaves no one time to answer. To avoid it, a bid placed in the last two minutes extends the sale by two minutes. As long as someone keeps raising, the sale continues. It ends when two minutes pass without a new bid.

In practice, stay alert in the closing moments, and set your ceiling before you start. An auction is also won by keeping a cool head.

Step 3: pay and collect the work

At the end of the sale the winner receives an online payment link. The work is held in their name until payment. Once paid, it is handed over in Point E, or shipped outside Dakar on a quote. As with every work sold at the gallery, it leaves with a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist. On that document and why it matters, read the answer on the certificate of authenticity.

What to know before you begin

• Look at the work first, if you can. Photographs do not convey material, size or light. If you are in Dakar, stop by the gallery.
• Ask your questions in advance. Dimensions, technique, condition, shipping terms: better to clarify them before the sale.
• Set a ceiling. The clock pushes people past their budget. Decide your limit, and hold it.
• Plan what follows. If you are abroad, ask for a shipping quote when you register, to know the overall cost.

For more general buying questions, the guide to buying contemporary art in Dakar covers the main points.

Following upcoming sales

No sale is open at the moment. Information is on the auctions page, where registration is possible at any time. For any question before signing up, write on WhatsApp at +221 78 660 07 07 or to geezacultures@gmail.com.

Auctions versus a gallery sale

In a gallery sale, the price is given on request and the exchange happens person to person. The buyer takes time to ask questions, come back, decide. In an auction, time structures the decision: the sale has a duration, and the price forms through the bids.

Neither mode is better than the other. The first suits those who like discussion and visits. The second suits those who value the transparency of a public history and the ability to bid from anywhere. In both cases the work leaves with a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist, and can be collected in Point E or shipped on a quote.

Security and trust

Three elements make the system readable: the team's verification of each participant's identity, the personal code that validates each bid, and the public, time-stamped history. If you have a doubt about how it works, or if you have not received your code, contact the team by WhatsApp or email before the sale starts, not during it.