Tiwani Contemporary
Tiwani Contemporary is a London- and Lagos-based contemporary art gallery that represents and sells work by emerging, mid-career, and established artists from Africa and its diaspora, serving private collectors, museums, and cultural institutions globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Tiwani Contemporary does
Tiwani Contemporary is a London-headquartered contemporary art gallery founded in 2011 by Maria Varnava, with the mentorship of the late Nigerian curator Bisi Silva, from whom the gallery took its Yoruba name meaning 'ours' or 'it belongs to us'. The company operates as Tiwani Promotions Ltd., a private limited company registered in England and Wales, and runs two physical gallery spaces: a flagship at 24 Cork Street, Mayfair (opened 2023) and a space at 13 Elsie Femi Pearse Street, Victoria Island, Lagos (inaugurated in 2022 for the gallery's 10th anniversary). It presents, represents, and sells works by emerging, mid-career, and established artists from Africa and its diaspora, with an exhibition programme that has placed works at over 120 institutions including MoMA, Centre Pompidou, Tate Modern, Tate Britain, and Zeitz MOCAA.
The business model is built on four revenue streams: primary artwork sales to private collectors and institutions (the dominant stream, with pricing handled confidentially on enquiry), art fair sales and commissions across Frieze London, The Armory Show, Art Paris, Investec Cape Town Art Fair, FOG Design+Art, and Expo Chicago, sale of limited-edition prints and artist merchandise, and gallery publishing co-produced with partners such as Anomie Publishing and Artphilein Editions, supported by the A.G. Leventis Foundation. Customer segments are two primary groups — private art collectors (wealthy individuals in the UK, Nigeria, and internationally) and museums/cultural institutions — supplemented by a fellowship-and-residency programme supporting emerging artists through the Yinka Shonibare Foundation's Guest Artists Space Lagos.
Technology footprint is minimal: the gallery runs on the industry-standard Artlogic platform and maintains a website, an Artsy marketplace profile, and an Instagram- and Facebook-led social presence. The company has no proprietary software products, API, or technology offering. It is a founder-controlled, independent private company with no external institutional investors, no parent entity, and a stated headcount of 1-10 employees.
Tiwani Contemporary firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tiwani Contemporary
- Legal name
- Tiwani Promotions Ltd.
- Website
- https://tiwani.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Tiwani Contemporary is a London- and Lagos-based contemporary art gallery that represents and sells work by emerging, mid-career, and established artists from Africa and its diaspora, serving private collectors, museums, and cultural institutions globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tiwani Contemporary industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Contemporary Art Gallery
- NAICS
- Art Dealers (459920), Art Dealers (45992)
- SIC
- Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)
Keywords
Where Tiwani Contemporary is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Tiwani Contemporary business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Art Sales: Primary revenue is generated from the sale of original artworks by represented artists to collectors and institutions.
- Limited Edition Prints and Merchandise: Sale of limited edition prints and artist merchandise (e.g., Umar Rashid limited edition printed T-shirt, publications).
- Art Fair Commissions: Revenue generated through participation at international art fairs where the gallery sells works on behalf of its artists.
- Publishing Revenue: Sale of gallery-produced catalogues and publications on artists, co-published with partners such as Anomie Publishing.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Limited Edition Publications |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Artwork Sales |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Tiwani Contemporary product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tiwani Contemporary is a contemporary art gallery that presents, represents, and sells works by artists from Africa and its diaspora. It operates physical gallery spaces in London (Cork Street, Mayfair) and Lagos, stages solo and group exhibitions, participates in major international art fairs, sells limited edition prints and publications, and supports artist residency programmes. Founded in 2011 by Maria Varnava, the gallery has placed works at over 120 major international institutions including MoMA, Tate Modern, Centre Pompidou, and Zeitz MOCAA.
Product overview
Tiwani Contemporary is an art gallery that operates as a traditional gallery business rather than a technology product company. It does not offer software products, platforms, or digital services in the conventional sense. The organization presents exhibitions at its physical gallery spaces in London and Lagos, represents artists, publishes art-related materials, and participates in art fairs. The gallery's digital presence consists of a standard website built on the Artlogic platform for gallery management, which does not constitute a product offering itself.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Original Artworks Original contemporary artworks by represented artists from Africa and its diaspora, available for purchase through direct gallery enquiry by collectors and institutions.
- Limited Edition Prints and Merchandise Limited edition prints and artist merchandise, including printed T-shirts by represented artists such as Umar Rashid, available for direct purchase.
- Art Publications Gallery-produced catalogues, monographs, and publications on represented artists, co-published with partners such as Anomie Publishing and Artphilein Editions SA. Pricing ranges from £10 to £44 per publication.
Quantifiable outcome
- Works placed in over 120 major international institutions including MoMA, Centre Pompidou, Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Zeitz MOCAA, Toledo Museum of Art, Minneapolis Institute of Art, The Hepworth Wakefield, and Yemisi Shyllon Museum.
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Tiwani Contemporary
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Tiwani Contemporary technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Tiwani Contemporary partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Addis Fine ArtcoreTiwani Contemporary collaborates with Addis Fine Art on joint exhibitions, including Tizta Berhanu: Love Is A Practice (2026) presented in London. The collaboration enables cross-referral of artists and shared programming between the two galleries operating in London, Addis Ababa, and New York.
- Yinka Shonibare Foundation / Guest Artists Space LagoscoreTiwani Contemporary acts as Residency and Fellowship Supporter of Guest Artists Space, Lagos, an initiative of the Yinka Shonibare Foundation that supports fellowships for emerging artists from the African continent.
- A.G. Leventis FoundationcoreThe A.G. Leventis Foundation has provided support enabling Tiwani Contemporary to publish extensively on its associate and represented artists. The foundation's backing has been instrumental in the gallery's publication programme.
- Anomie PublishingminorTiwani Contemporary co-publishes catalogues and monographs with Anomie Publishing (London and Swindon, UK), including publications on Gareth Nyandoro, Joy Labinjo, and others.
- Artphilein Editions SAminorTiwani Contemporary co-edited the publication Délio Jasse: Cidade Em Movimento with Artphilein Editions SA (Lugano), with the support of the Leventis Foundation.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Tiwani Contemporary competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Addis Fine Art: London/Addis Ababa/New York-based gallery representing contemporary African artists. Directly comparable peer in the African contemporary art space; also a formal partner of Tiwani Contemporary on joint exhibitions.
- Goodman Gallery: Johannesburg/Cape Town/London gallery with a long-established focus on contemporary African and diaspora artists. Directly competes for similar artists, collectors, and institutional placements.
- Jack Shainman Gallery: New York-based gallery known for representing African and African diaspora artists and programming aligned with socially engaged practices. Comparable in curatorial focus and institutional client base.
- Stevenson Gallery: Cape Town and Johannesburg gallery representing contemporary African artists with international exhibition programmes. Direct comparable in artist roster and institutional placement strategy.
- Galleria Continua: Multi-location gallery (San Gimignano, Beijing, Les Moulins, Havana, Rome, Paris, Dubai) with strong contemporary African artist representation. Direct comparable in international footprint and institutional sales.
- Blank Projects: Cape Town gallery representing contemporary African artists with international fair participation. Similar in scale and roster focus to Tiwani Contemporary.
Broad incumbents
- White Cube: Major London-based global gallery representing blue-chip contemporary artists. While not focused on African diaspora, it competes at the same fairs and for high-net-worth collectors in the same addresses.
- Hauser & Wirth: Global mega-gallery with blue-chip contemporary and modern artists. Competes for institutional clients and Mayfair/London visibility, with growing representation of African artists.
- Pace Gallery: Global blue-chip gallery with broad contemporary roster. Competes for top-tier collectors and institutional placements at major art fairs alongside Tiwani.
- Marian Goodman Gallery: New York/London/Paris gallery representing historically significant contemporary artists. Overlaps with Tiwani at major fairs and across institutional client relationships.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Tiwani Contemporary social profiles
Digital presenceTiwani Contemporary financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tiwani Contemporary leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Tiwani Contemporary funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tiwani Contemporary M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Tiwani Contemporary
What does Tiwani Contemporary do?
Tiwani Contemporary is a contemporary art gallery that presents, represents, and sells works by artists from Africa and its diaspora. It operates physical gallery spaces in London (Cork Street, Mayfair) and Lagos, stages solo and group exhibitions, participates in major international art fairs, sells limited edition prints and publications, and supports artist residency programmes. Founded in 2011 by Maria Varnava, the gallery has placed works at over 120 major international institutions including MoMA, Tate Modern, Centre Pompidou, and Zeitz MOCAA.
Is Tiwani Contemporary a public or private company?
Tiwani Contemporary is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Tiwani Contemporary founded?
Tiwani Contemporary was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Tiwani Contemporary based?
Tiwani Contemporary is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Tiwani Contemporary make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Art Sales are the primary driver. The others are limited Edition Prints and Merchandise, art Fair Commissions and publishing Revenue.
Who are Tiwani Contemporary's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Addis Fine Art, Goodman Gallery, Jack Shainman Gallery, Stevenson Gallery, Galleria Continua and Blank Projects. Broad incumbents are White Cube, Hauser & Wirth, Pace Gallery and Marian Goodman Gallery.
Does Tiwani Contemporary have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tiwani Contemporary.
What industry is Tiwani Contemporary in?
Tiwani Contemporary's product category is Contemporary Art Gallery. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJADAH, Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit). Its NAICS code is 459920 and its SIC code is 7330.