Itumeleng Tshikalaha, a South African art entrepreneur sparking curiosity in the visual arts — Lionesses of Africa

What does your company do?

At 132 Art Gallery we take pride in the fact that our art pieces are one of a kind, and our client’s investment in the art painting is preserved by its exclusivity. Our clients take comfort in knowing that they are the only person in the world with that one specific art painting hanging on their wall or stored in their vault. We are an Art Gallery based in Sandhurst, Sandton, South Africa. We showcase emerging and known African artists and introduce them to the world. We pride ourselves in narrating the African story that we have art worth investing in, that artists aren’t meant to be poor. We do exhibitions and events to promote artists and we bridge gaps in communities that anyone can enjoy the art.

What inspired you to start your company?

My husband George Mulaudzi is an artist and we always had his paintings around the house, though in the medical field, we saw an opportunity to have his art work and saw a gap in the market to promote his work as our first exclusive artist inhouse and then we looked for space and got other artists on board and that is how 132 Art Gallery began – black owned and women owned.

Why should anyone use your service or product?

We exhibit artists work at a minimum fee, we charge less than the standard commission rate as in most galleries, we work on marketing the artist and promote them internationally. We are specific in choosing one of a kind art work and that is our selling point in art, art being an investment. The client or art lover gets to buy and own a painting that nobody else will ever own and while doing so, can opt to sell in later years and get a profit. All the artists we work with, use the medium oil on canvas, meaning the painting will last over a 100 years + and that is what building a legacy in the arts means, by Africans for Africans. We would like to see all our artist’s that work with us to be auctioned on Bloombergs and Sothebys and seeing African Art flourish.