Cape Town has, over the past two decades, consolidated its position as the most active centre for the commercial art market in sub-Saharan Africa. The city now hosts a dense network of private galleries ranging from internationally recognised spaces with footholds in New York, London and Amsterdam to younger project-based rooms representing emerging regional voices. This concentration has been reinforced by the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in the Silo District, the Norval Foundation in Tokai, and the annual Investec Cape Town Art Fair, which in its 2026 edition brought together 126 exhibitors from 34 cities and 22 countries at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. What follows is a gallery-by-gallery account of the principal private spaces operating in the city, with notes on their current and forthcoming programmes.
Goodman Gallery
Goodman Gallery is among the most internationally connected of Cape Town's private spaces. Founded in Johannesburg in 1966 by Linda Givon during the apartheid era as a deliberately non-discriminatory commercial gallery, the Cape Town branch operates from 37A Somerset Road in the De Waterkant neighbourhood. The gallery also has premises in Johannesburg, London and New York. Since Liza Essers became owner and director in 2008, the programme has expanded to include more than thirty international artists alongside an established roster of South African practitioners. The gallery was instrumental in bringing David Goldblatt, William Kentridge, David Koloane, Sam Nhlengethwa and Sue Williamson to wider international attention.
In 2026, Goodman Gallery Cape Town is presenting Dynamic Equilibrium, a solo exhibition by Atta Kwami, running from 7 February to 4 April 2026. Alongside the Cape Town programme, the gallery's Johannesburg space is showing Hank Willis Thomas's Forever Now (31 January – 7 March 2026), and the London gallery is simultaneously presenting Laura Lima's large-scale installation Communal Nests for Windows, Balconies, Verandas, Gardens, and Forests (29 January – 4 April 2026). Prior to the current programme, the Cape Town space presented You Are What You Seek, a solo exhibition by Egyptian-American artist Ghada Amer (6 December 2025 – 31 January 2026). The gallery's online sales platform lists several works as sold out, including Walter Oltmann's Child Skull B (2015) and Sam Nhlengethwa's Cream Beret (2023). Michael Gah's Liquid Love (2025), a mixed media on canvas work measuring 56 x 56 cm, was sold through the Christopher Moller Gallery and is listed on Ocula as sold.
https://www.goodman-gallery.com
Stevenson
Stevenson opened in Cape Town in 2003, founded by Michael Stevenson and Andrew da Conceicao after their encounter with documenta 11 in Kassel, and has since grown into one of the most respected galleries on the continent. The Cape Town gallery is housed in a former sweet factory in Woodstock, an area that has become something of a creative precinct. The gallery now also has spaces in Amsterdam and, until recently, Johannesburg, and is jointly owned by thirteen directors. Stevenson's roster has historically leaned towards artists working across photography, painting and installation, with a particular commitment to South(ern) African practitioners, among them Jo Ractliffe, Moshekwa Langa, Serge Alain Nitegeka, Nicholas Hlobo, Penny Siopis and Simphiwe Ndzube. Since 2009, the gallery has run the FOREX programme, which has brought international artists including Francis Alÿs, Rineke Dijkstra and Glenn Ligon to South Africa, often for the first time. The gallery participates in Art Basel, Art Basel Miami Beach, Paris Photo and Frieze.
In terms of 2026 programming, Stevenson's upcoming Cape Town exhibitions include a joint presentation by Moshekwa Langa and Mahesh Baliga, scheduled to open on 28 March and run to 9 May 2026. The gallery is also participating in Investec Cape Town Art Fair 2026 (20–22 February). In related institutional news, Robin Rhode's work features in A Protea Is Not a Flower at Zeitz MOCAA, a long-running exhibition curated by Khanyi Mawhayi that is open until 15 November 2026. Ruth Ige has been awarded the 2025 Rydal Art Prize and will present a solo exhibition in 2026 at Te Uru Contemporary Art Gallery.
Southern Guild
Southern Guild was founded in 2008 by Trevyn and Julian McGowan and occupies a prominent position in the Silo District at the V&A Waterfront, directly adjacent to Zeitz MOCAA. The gallery has pioneered the category of collectible design on the African continent, representing artists and designers working across ceramics, furniture, lighting, sculpture, weaving and jewellery, with a consistent commitment to African materials, techniques and traditions. Works by Southern Guild artists have entered the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, LACMA, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Vitra Museum and the National Gallery of Victoria, among others. The gallery artists have also exhibited at the Centre Pompidou, the Brooklyn Museum and the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum.
In early 2026, Southern Guild opened two simultaneous solo exhibitions at its Cape Town space: a show by ceramicist Zizipho Poswa and a presentation by Justine Mahoney, both running from 12 February to 16 April 2026. The gallery is also participating in Frieze Los Angeles (26 February – 1 March 2026) at its new Los Angeles outpost in Melrose Hill, where the opening programme featured Zizipho Poswa alongside a group exhibition titled Mother Tongues, featuring 26 gallery artists including Zanele Muholi, Andile Dyalvane, Manyaku Mashilo, Jody Paulsen and Jozua Gerrard. A New York space in Tribeca is expected to follow in 2026. The gallery runs the GUILD Residency, an international studio programme at its Cape Town campus of approximately 32,000 square feet, some of which provides studio space to represented artists with ceramic kilns and painting facilities.
WHATIFTHEWORLD
Founded in 2008, WHATIFTHEWORLD is based at First Floor, 16 Buiten Street in the Cape Town City Centre and has become well regarded for its commitment to ambitious solo projects and multi-disciplinary installations. The gallery represents artists who engage critically with both global and local contemporary art and socio-political contexts, with a strong emphasis on South Africa and the broader African continent and its diaspora. Artists on the roster include Mia Chaplin, Paul Edmunds, Pierre Fouché and Lungiswa Gqunta, among others. The gallery has a substantial publication history, having produced numerous exhibition catalogues and artist monographs, and its programme has been noted for shaping discourse around contemporary art in the region. WHATIFTHEWORLD is a regular participant in Investec Cape Town Art Fair.
https://www.whatiftheworld.com
SMAC Gallery
SMAC was founded by Baylon Sandri in Stellenbosch in 2007, originally as Stellenbosch Modern and Contemporary, with an early intention to provide visibility for historically underrepresented South African artists. The gallery's direction broadened when Sandri met sculptor Barend De Wet. SMAC now operates a flagship gallery in Cape Town's City Centre alongside SMAC + Projects, a space for more experimental and intimate work five minutes away, as well as its original Stellenbosch gallery. The Cape Town flagship opened in November 2023 with a group exhibition titled Back in Town, marking the gallery's return to the city centre. SMAC's programme is characterised by an emphasis on materiality, abstraction and a strong representation of women artists including Michaela Younge, Mary Sibande and Marlene Steyn. The gallery participates in Art Basel (Basel and Miami Beach), Paris + par Art Basel, the Armory Show and Art Brussels. SMAC + Projects continues to support emerging and experimental practice.
EBONY/CURATED
Established in 2007, EBONY/CURATED operates across three Cape Town and Franschhoek spaces and has built its reputation around contemporary and modern work from the African continent and its diaspora. In 2026, the gallery is presenting Two O'Clock, a solo exhibition of work by Senzeni Marasela, open from 5 February to 14 March 2026 at its Cape Town gallery, while In Plain Sight is simultaneously showing at the EBONY/CURATED Bordeaux House in Franschhoek from 7 February to 8 March 2026. The gallery's Loop Street gallery ran A Very Loop Street Summer IV, a returning summer group exhibition, through 24 January 2026. EBONY/CURATED participates in Investec Cape Town Art Fair and international fairs, and gallery artists feature in both public and private collections.
Everard Read / CIRCA
Everard Read holds the distinction of being Africa's oldest commercial gallery, established in Johannesburg in 1913. The Cape Town branch, which operates under the dual identity Everard Read / CIRCA, is located at 3 Portswood Road at the V&A Waterfront. The gallery presents modern and contemporary South African art and maintains a rigorously curated exhibition programme. In addition to Cape Town and Johannesburg, Everard Read has a presence in Franschhoek and London. The gallery represents a broad roster of South Africa's established artists and is a consistent participant in Investec Cape Town Art Fair.
https://www.everard-read-capetown.co.za
blank projects
blank projects was founded as a project space in 2005 by Jonathan Garnham and transitioned into a commercial gallery in 2012. Based in a 360 square metre space in Woodstock, the gallery represents emerging and increasingly established artists from the region in a programme focused on contemporaneity, with an emphasis on concept and abstraction within an African context. The gallery's exhibition programme has a track record of shaping critical discourse around contemporary art in southern Africa, and it participates in prominent local and international art fairs. blank projects actively works to place artists' work in both private and institutional collections, and contributes to the broader visual arts community in Cape Town through ongoing projects supporting the sector. The gallery is a regular participant in Investec Cape Town Art Fair.
Christopher Moller Gallery
Christopher Moller Gallery is a Cape Town-based gallery specialising in contemporary art with a particular focus on African artists, including practitioners from Ghana and Zimbabwe as well as South Africa. For the 2026 edition of Investec Cape Town Art Fair, the gallery presented a selection of works representing the range and depth of contemporary African practice, with featured artists including Ablade Glover (Ghana), Annamieke Engelbrecht, Chris Denovan, Frans Smit, Mpho Feni (South Africa), James Mishio (Ghana), Lionel Mbayiwa (Zimbabwe), Michael Gah (Ghana), Nessi Penman and Kwaku Yaro (Ghana). The gallery has an active online sales presence and conducts international shipping for collectors. Michael Gah's Liquid Love (2025), mixed media on canvas, has been listed as sold via the gallery on Ocula.
https://www.christophermollerart.co.za
THK Gallery
THK Gallery is a Cape Town-based gallery with a focus on emerging artists, photography and publications. The gallery participated in Abu Dhabi Art (19–23 November 2025) and has been running gallery exhibitions at its Cape Town space. THK is also a participant in Investec Cape Town Art Fair 2026.
Art@Africa>
Art@Africa is located on the first floor of the Clocktower Centre in the V&A Waterfront's Silo District. The gallery represents a range of contemporary South African and African artists and mounts a regular programme of solo and group exhibitions. In 2026, it is presenting The Ocean Between Us Is One by Olivia, running from 19 February to 5 April 2026. The gallery describes its mission as showcasing contemporary African artists in an international context and welcomes visitors during regular gallery hours.
The Investec Cape Town Art Fair Context
Any account of the private gallery scene in Cape Town must acknowledge the pivotal role played by Investec Cape Town Art Fair (ICTAF), now in its thirteenth edition in 2026. Held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 20 to 22 February, ICTAF 2026 brought together 126 exhibitors from 34 cities across 22 countries, with 490 artists represented. This year's fair was guided by the curatorial concept Listen, framed as both a sensory and conceptual proposition. Among the Cape Town galleries participating were Stevenson, Goodman Gallery, blank projects, Southern Guild, WHATIFTHEWORLD, EBONY/CURATED, SMAC Gallery, Eclectica Contemporary, Christopher Moller Gallery, THK Gallery and Everard Read. The fair has played a considerable role in elevating Cape Town's international profile, drawing collectors, curators and institutional representatives from across Africa, Europe, the Americas and Asia.
https://www.investeccapetownartfair.co.za
All gallery web addresses are as listed publicly as of March 2026. Programme dates and availability are subject to change; readers are advised to contact galleries directly to confirm current and forthcoming exhibitions.