African Art's Global Rise: Who Profits, Who Pays, and Who Owns the Past?

By Zanele Mokoena

As the world's collectors turn their hungry eyes toward African art, a dangerous silence hangs over the market. Beneath the glamour of record auction prices and international gallery openings lies a troubling reality: the same trade that celebrates our artists is too often a conduit for laundered money, stolen heritage, and colonial plunder. For South Africa and the continent, this is not merely a regulatory issue. It is a question of justice, of reclaiming what is ours, and of ensuring that the value of Black creativity does not end up lining the pockets of criminals and former colonizers.

Why is the African art market under scrutiny?

The global art trade has long operated in the shadows. Valuable works can be bought privately, moved across borders, and stored in secure facilities with little public information about who owns them or where the money comes from. For Africa, the stakes are rising as cities like Lagos, Accra, and Johannesburg become major hubs for contemporary art. International galleries and auction houses are pouring in, drawn by the brilliance of our artists, but this interest also increases the volume of money flowing through a market with weak oversight.

This growth makes provenance, the documented history of an artwork's ownership, more critical than ever. Incomplete or unreliable records make it difficult to determine whether a work was legitimately acquired, illegally exported, or connected to earlier criminal transactions. In a market where a single painting can appreciate dramatically in value, uncertainty over its origins creates fertile ground for abuse.

How does money laundering work through art?

Artworks represent substantial sums in a single transaction, making them an attractive vehicle for disguising criminal proceeds. Financial investigators have repeatedly raised alarms about the ease with which illicit funds can be moved through the purchase and resale of art. The international nature of the trade complicates matters further. An artwork may be created in Nigeria, sold through a dealer in Europe, stored in Switzerland, and finally purchased by a collector in New York. Each step falls under a different legal and financial system, creating gaps that savvy criminals exploit.

The colonial theft that still haunts our museums

Beyond contemporary paintings, the risks extend to our heritage. Across Africa, governments and cultural institutions have spent decades demanding the return of artefacts removed during the colonial period. European and North American museums continue to hold thousands of African cultural objects whose ownership histories remain contested. The illegal trade in antiquities adds another layer of injury. Objects are removed from archaeological sites, passed through intermediaries, and transported across borders before reaching international buyers. By the time an object enters the legitimate market, establishing where it came from is extremely difficult, if not impossible.

Why transparency benefits African artists and dealers

African art businesses and artists have a strong interest in cleaning up the market. Greater transparency would strengthen confidence among international collectors while protecting artists and legitimate dealers from being associated with criminal activity. Measures such as clearer ownership records, stronger documentation for exports and imports, and closer cooperation between financial and cultural authorities could make suspicious transactions easier to identify.

The challenge is finding a balance. African artists and galleries want the international market to continue growing, and they deserve that growth. But governments and cultural institutions must ensure that valuable works and heritage objects are not being used to conceal criminal wealth or leave the continent illegally.

What questions must be answered?

As African art becomes more valuable on the global stage, the questions surrounding every major transaction become more urgent: Who owns the artwork? Where did it come from? And can the money behind its sale be traced?

For Africa's rapidly developing art market, answering those questions will determine whether its international growth is built on transparency and trust, or on the exploitation of our people and our past. We have seen too much taken from us already. The time to demand accountability is now.