Artists accuse Cape Town gallery of withholding payments and artworks - TimesLIVE

Artists have accused a Cape Town art gallery of failing to pay them for artworks sold and to return pieces entrusted to it.

Two artists, Sylvester Falata and Mbongeni Buthelezi, have both raised concerns about their dealings with Uniquity Art Gallery, owned by Larissa Pironi.

Falata said the gallery owed him R46,750 for four artworks that had been sold, while Buthelezi said he had not received payment for a reported sale and was still trying to recover 10 artworks he had handed over for exhibitions.

Speaking to Sunday Times, Falata said he had entrusted a collection of artworks to the gallery under a consignment agreement, which allowed it to display and sell his work on his behalf.

He said the collectors had paid for four artworks and collected them from the gallery, but he had not received the money.

“In my formal letter of demand, the outstanding amount owed to me is R46,750. This is for four artworks sold by the gallery for which payment has not been remitted to me,” he said.

Falata said the gallery later proposed a 30-day payment arrangement, which he disputed because it had not been part of their original agreement.

He said he had asked the gallery to stop selling his work until both parties agreed on payment terms, but further artworks were allegedly sold.

My position has been consistent. I am an artist seeking payment for artworks that have been sold, the collectors have already paid the gallery in full and taken possession of the works.

The dispute escalated to the point where he involved the South African Police Service, whose officers accompanied him to the gallery to retrieve the remaining artworks and ceramics, he said.

When the Sunday Times reached out to Pironi, she said Falata was trying to extort her, an accusation which Falata has rejected.

“I categorically reject this allegation. I don’t know how Larissa perceives me seeking payment and accountability for my sold artworks as extortion,” he said.

“My position has been consistent. I am an artist seeking payment for artworks that have been sold, the collectors have already paid the gallery in full and taken possession of the works.”

Pironi told Sunday Times that the matter between her and Falata would now be handled through lawyers.

“We have decided to sort it out through lawyers, so we are waiting on communication from his lawyer and a letter of demand. That is where we left it by mutual consent,” she said.

She said Falata had indicated that he had a lawyer and wanted to be represented by an agent.

“He doesn’t even want to meet me. Unfortunately, we have to proceed through lawyers,” she said.

Pironi also threatened that the gallery would take legal action over any comments it considered defamatory or slanderous by the Sunday Times.

She accused Falata of trying to extort her but did not provide details to support the allegation.

Buthelezi, who has been a professional artist for 35 years, said his dealings with the gallery began in June 2025 when Pironi approached him with an invitation to supply at least five artworks for two international art fairs in the United States.

The exhibitions were to take place in Seattle and Atlanta.

He said he welcomed the opportunity, believing it would give him international exposure and a chance to sell his work.

A contract covering the two exhibitions was signed in June 2025 and was due to end in November that year.

Buthelezi said he expected his unsold artworks to be returned after the Atlanta exhibition, which took place around September 2025.

Instead, he said Pironi approached him with another proposal to participate in the Miami Art Fair, which he declined because he wanted the existing agreement to be concluded first.

In November 2025, Pironi allegedly contacted him to say an American couple visiting the gallery had bought one of his artworks.

Buthelezi said she gave him an opportunity to speak to the couple over the phone and thank them for their purchase.

“She then asked me to prepare a certificate of authenticity and provide my banking details so payment could be made. I complied but had still not received the money.”

Buthelezi said he had initially supplied five artworks for the international exhibitions. Shortly before Pironi travelled to the US, she requested another six artworks from him.

This brought the total number of artworks he had entrusted to the gallery to 11.

According to a demand letter which Sunday Times has seen, Buthelezi’s attorneys, Richard Spoor Incorporated, issued Pironi with a formal notice of default and demand on March 27 2026, demanding R140,000, payment of any further outstanding amounts, a full account of the artworks and the return of the 10 unsold pieces.

“All of the 10 other artworks are worth ... thousands of rands. Even though now I am not sure if she sold them, for how much, or if they still remain,” Buthelezi said.

The notice warned that high court proceedings could follow if the demands were not met.

He said the agreement required the gallery to display and promote the work, account for sales and pay him the proceeds. Any unsold pieces were to be returned when the contract ended in November 2025.

However, he alleged that the gallery had failed to provide a satisfactory account of the artworks, settle payments or return the remaining pieces.

Buthelezi said he had tried to resolve the matter without success. He said formal letters of demand had been sent to Pironi.

“My concern is no longer simply about an unsuccessful exhibition or delayed sales. It is about the failure to honour a signed contractual agreement, the non-payment of an artist and the continued withholding of valuable artworks that belong to me,” he said.

Buthelezi said he wanted the immediate return of his artworks, a full written account of their status and payment of any money owed to him.

He said his decision to speak publicly was not intended to damage anyone’s reputation but to warn other artists, particularly emerging and independent creatives, about the importance of protecting their work.

“International exposure and opportunities are important, but they should never come at the expense of an artist’s rights, dignity and livelihood,” he said.

Another artist from Cameroon, Ange Akomezoa, also raised concerns about not receiving payments for her artworks from Pironi.

Akomezoa has accused the gallery of failing to pay her the full amount owed for a painting titled The Florist, which she said was sold to an American tourist for $2,300 (about R38,000).

Akomezoa said she eventually received $300 (about R5,000) in November, instead of the $1,250 she was entitled to under their agreement, and managed to recover her two other paintings with the help of friends.

“For over eight months, I suffered from depression and even experienced suicidal thoughts. I went through the worst ordeal an artist could possibly endure — a bitter, deeply unpleasant experience that ruined my entire year, leaving me unable to paint for more than five months,” she said

Sunday Times sent Pironi questions about Buthelezi’s allegations and other artists with similar concerns on Wednesday. She had not responded by the time of publication.