Hannah O'Leary, the former head of Modern & Contemporary African Art at Sotheby's, has gone independent with the launch of Hannah O'Leary Fine Art (HOLFA), a London-based firm focused on secondary-market private sales of modern and contemporary African art, backed by advisory and auction counsel for collectors, estates and institutions. The firm makes its public debut at 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in London, which opens on 15 October, as part of the fair's 1-54 Presents programme. At the fair, HOLFA will present works by seven twentieth-century African modernists: Skunder Boghossian of Ethiopia, Gerard Sekoto of South Africa, Sam Ntiro of Tanzania, Papa Ibra Tall of Senegal, Uzo Egonu of Nigeria, Kofi Antubam of Ghana and Bertina Lopes of Mozambique. O'Leary frames the selection as overdue recognition for artists who engaged with independence movements, Pan-Africanism and global modernism, noting that for several of them this is the first appearance at an international art fair. O'Leary spent two decades shaping the market for African art, co-founding Bonhams' African art auctions in 2006 before Sotheby's recruited her in 2016 to establish its dedicated department. During her Sotheby's tenure she oversaw what the announcement describes as the highest-grossing contemporary African art auctions ever held and set more than 200 world auction records for African artists. The firm's pitch is aimed at a gap she identifies in the market: most twentieth-century African art still trades at auction, and collectors lack independent, continent-wide advice plus a discreet route to buy and sell privately. Alongside private sales, HOLFA will offer auction strategy, collection management, valuations and institutional advisory. The launch lands as collectors across Africa and the diaspora assemble significant collections and a new generation of buyers enters the market at a high level.