Art

The woman who built the African art auction market goes independent at 1-54 London

Hannah O'Leary, who co-founded Bonhams' African art auctions in 2006 and built Sotheby's African art department from 2016, has launched her own firm, HOLFA, for private sales and advice — debuting at the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in London with works by seven modernists from across the continent.

• VerifiedHannah O'Leary has launched Hannah O'Leary Fine Art (HOLFA), a London-based firm specialising in secondary-market private sales and advisory services for modern and contemporary African art.
• VerifiedHOLFA debuted at the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in London, held 15-18 October 2026, presenting works by seven artists: Skunder Bogossian (Ethiopia), Gerard Sekoto (South Africa), Sam Ntiro (Tanzania), Papa Ibra Tall (Senegal), Uzo Egonu (Nigeria), Kofi Antubam (Ghana) and Bertina Lopes (Mozambique).
• VerifiedO'Leary co-founded the African art auctions at Bonhams in 2006 and joined Sotheby's in 2016 to establish its Modern & Contemporary African Art department.