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Esther Mahlangu Art

b. 1935

Esther Mahlangu is a South African artist from the Ndebele nation. She learned mural painting from her mother and grandmother at a young age, following the Ndebele cultural tradition of women painting the exteriors of buildings in their communities as an expression of identity. Her paintings reflect the Ndebele culture with both their bold, vibrant colors and geometric patterns, which are often influenced by Ndebele clothing and jewelry designs. A particularly fascinating component of Mahlangu's artistic practice is her ability to create precise geometric lines on a large scale without any preparatory studies or guides. She often paints with chicken feathers, per Ndebele custom. Mahlangu is interested in preserving her cultural tradition and teaches art to children in Weltevrede, a town in Mpumalanga Province, to this day. She became internationally known when she exhibited at the landmark 1989 Magiciens de la Terre exhibition of African art at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. Mahlangu has received many international commissions for her art, including partnerships with BMW and Fiac, and her works are in the collections of museums across the world, notably two large-scale murals flanking the entrance to the African Art Gallery in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

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Artist: Esther Mahlangu
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Studied: Pratt Inst.; Carlyle College; NY Sch. Mod. Photography Exhibited: MoMA; BM, 1968; Nordness Gals., NYC; Phila. Civic Center; Ruder & Finn FA, 1969; Smithsonian Inst.; Mount Holyoke College, 1969; BMFA, 1970; RISD, 1969; Mem. Art Gal., Rochester, NY, 1969; SFMA, 1969; Contemp. Arts Mus., Houston, TX, 1970; NJ State Mus., 1970; Roberson Center for the Arts & Sciences, Binghampton, NY, 1970; UC Santa Barbara, 1970; Plaza Hotel, NYC; Westchester Art Soc. Gal. (prize); Nassau Community College; Brooklyn Pub. Lib.; Allentown (PA) Art Festival; Quinnipiac College, CT; Parrish Art Mus.; NY State Pavillion; Huntington Township Art Lg. Awards: Mitchell College, CT; BM; Armonk Lib. Show Award; Bedford Hills Lib. Show Award. Sources: Cederholm, Afro-American Artists. Public Collections: Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Brooklyn Museum Museum of Modern Art, New York Smithsonian American Art Museum Exhibitions: MOMA Brooklyn Museum, 1968 Nordness Galleries, NYC Smithsonian Institution Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1970 Rhode Island School of Design, 1969 San Francisco Museum of Art, 1969 Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, 1970 Parrish Art Museum Courtesy of Afro-American Artist; a biographical directory THOMPSON, RUSS (Born Jamaica, 1922) Painter. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, 1922. Studied at the Pratt Institute; Carlyle College; New York School of Modern Photography. Works: Cloud Flowers ; My Breath Is One with the Clouds ; The Acrobats; Relatives; Thoreau; Clothes to the Body; America- Amer- ica; Hanging Garden; Poor Room, Rich Room; Epigram a Bromide; Passage, 1969 (wood, epoxy, iron). Exhibited: Museum of Modern Art; Brooklyn Museum Fence Show, 1968; Nordness Gal- leries, NY; Phila. Civic Center; Ruder & Finn Fine Arts, 1969; Smithsonian Institution; Mount Holyoke College, 1969; Boston Museum of Fine Arts, 1970; Rhode Island School of Design, 1969; Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, NY, 1969; San Francisco Museum of Art, 1969; Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, 1970; NJ State Museum, 1970; Roberson Center for the Arts & Sciences, Binghamton, NY, 1970; Art Galleries, Univ. of Cal. at Santa Barbara, 1970; Plaza Hotel, NYC; Westchester Art So- ciety Gallery; Nassau Community College; Brooklyn Public Library; Allentown (Pa.) Art Festival; Quinnipiac College; Parrish Art Mu- seum; NY State Pavillion; Huntington Town- ship Art League. Collections: Frederick Douglass Institute, Wash- ington, DC; Spiro & Levinson Corp.; Mr. William Haber; Mr. & Mrs. B. Friedman; Mr. & Mrs. Samuel J. Rosen; Mr. David Scribner; Unigraphic Corp.; Mr. Benny An- drews; Jeanne Paris; Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Strauss. 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Esther Mahlangu art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Esther Mahlangu art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Esther Mahlangu in acrylic paint, paint, synthetic resin paint and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the abstract style. Not every interior allows for large Esther Mahlangu art, so small editions measuring 17 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Chu Teh-Chun, Fabrizio Simeoni, and Yankel Ginzburg. Esther Mahlangu art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $2,776 and tops out at $15,575, while the average work can sell for $7,685.

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