The right introduction beats a thousand catalogues. We connect collectors to the specialists we would buy from ourselves — deepest in contemporary African art — and the specialist handles everything a regulated sale requires. We never hold the work or the money.
We are introducers, not dealers. When a client wants to buy — a name they have
followed for years or a wall that needs the right thing — we open the door to the
specialist who actually holds the relationship: the gallerist, dealer or advisor we know
personally and would buy from ourselves. From there the specialist runs everything a
regulated art transaction requires — provenance, condition, paperwork, identity and
source-of-funds checks — and the sale is between you and them. We never hold the
work, never touch the money, and our introduction fee is paid by the specialist and
disclosed to you. If nobody in our network is right for the brief, we say so.
Contemporary African art
Our closest relationships are in the market the big houses came to late: Lagos,
Accra, Dakar, Cape Town and the diaspora studios in London and Lisbon. For collectors
who want in early on the most consequential contemporary scene of the last decade
— and for Nigerian collectors bringing work home — we know exactly whose
door to knock on, and we can usually get it opened the same week.
Fairs & access
Basel, Miami, Frieze, 1-54 and Art X Lagos: previews, guided walk-throughs with
people who know the booths, and the dinners around them. We already run
Art Basel week end to end — flights,
suites, tables and the fair itself as one itinerary. The concierge side of art is
entirely ours; the transacting side belongs to the specialists.
Around the work
The same introduction principle covers everything after the purchase: conservators,
framers, fine-art shippers, insurers and installers — vetted, introduced, and the
logistics of moving a work between homes folded into the concierge like any other
booking.
From the studio
OF.luxury is founded by a working artist. A small number of original works are
available directly from the studio from time to time — sold simply, artist to
collector, no intermediary at all. If that interests you, ask the desk.
Valuation, acquisition and sale
The desk now runs the transaction end to end. You bring the brief — a work you want valued, a name you want to acquire, a piece you are ready to sell — and we run it. Valuation and authentication are brought in from specialists we know personally, the regulated execution of a sale is completed by the specialist we place it with, and you deal with us throughout. We never hold the work and we never hold the money.
Sourcing is not limited to members. If you are not a client and want a specific work found, ask — it is the same desk and the same relationships.
Reading before you buy
How a brief runs
Valuation. Tell us what you hold and why you want a figure — insurance, estate planning, a sale you are weighing, or simple curiosity. We bring in the specialist appropriate to the artist and the period, and you receive a written opinion you can rely on for cover or for a sale. A valuation more than a few years old is not evidence of value; insurers increasingly say so.
Acquisition. A name you have followed, a gap in the collection, or a wall that needs the right thing. We source — including primary-market work that is allocated rather than listed — check provenance and condition, negotiate terms as well as price, and arrange shipping, insurance and installation. The regulated execution is completed by the specialist we place it with; you deal with us throughout.
Sale. Whether a work goes to auction, into a private sale or back to the gallery it came from depends on the artist, the market that season and how quickly you need the money. We advise on the route, manage the consignment, and make sure the estimate and the reserve are set in your interest rather than the house’s.
Who it is for
Collectors starting out who would rather not learn the expensive lessons personally. Established collectors who want a second opinion that is not being paid by the seller. Families holding work that has not been valued since it was bought. Members of OF.luxury for whom the art is one part of a season we already run — and, increasingly, people who are not members at all and simply want a specific work found.
What we will not do
We will not hold the work or the money at any point. We will not recommend a purchase we would not make ourselves at that price. We will not accept a fee from a seller without telling you. If nobody in our network is right for the brief, we say so, and the introduction does not happen.
Frequently asked
Are you a gallery, dealer or auction house?
None of them. We introduce collectors to vetted specialists — gallerists, dealers and advisors — and the transaction is between you and them. We never hold the work or the money.
Who checks provenance and runs the regulatory side?
The specialist completing the sale — they verify provenance and condition and run the identity and source-of-funds checks UK art-market rules require. We only introduce people whose track record we know personally.
How is OF.luxury paid?
By the specialist, as an introduction fee — and we disclose that to you. You pay us nothing for the introduction; the concierge work around a fair or a shipment is billed like any other concierge booking.
Why contemporary African art?
Because that is where our relationships are deepest and the market is still being written — Lagos, Accra and the diaspora studios. We can reach primary-market work that never goes on public sale.
Can I buy work by the founder?
Occasionally, yes — original works are sold directly from the studio, artist to collector, with no intermediary. Ask the desk what is currently available.
