A Pioneering Collector from Ghana Weighs His Options

Seth Dei, an American-educated entrepreneur in Ghana, faces a challenge as an art collector. He’s tried to build is own study center for the 500 paintings he owns but found the project too big.

Now in his seventies and moving to a new home, Dei is exploring his options with regard to the collection, according to this profile in the Financial Times:

He is also winding down his art collection, expressing frustration that American academic partners did not provide any funding. He closed the centre to the public three years ago. “I got tired and I’m taking a pause,” he says. “If I kept doing this, I’d be broke.”

He says all options remain open, and recently discussed the sale of works in a meeting with Sotheby’s. His dream is to donate his collection to a new state museum of modern art, but for now, he questions the competence of government officials to take charge.

Seth Dei, the Ghanaian investor behind fruit exporter Blue Skies (Financial Times)