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-

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Untitled - 1990s

127.2 x 151.6 cm
Acrylic on canvas

Untitled - 2005

165 x 370 x 150 cm
Acrylic on metal

Untitled - 2005

165 x 370 x 150 cm
Acrylic on metal

Untitled - 2005

165 x 370 x 150 cm
Acrylic on metal

Untitled - 2005

165 x 370 x 150 cm
Acrylic on metal

Untitled - 2005

165 x 370 x 150 cm
Acrylic on metal

Untitled - 1992

114.9 x 175.9 cm
Acrylic on canvas

Untitled - 1992

108 x 180 cm
Acrylic on canvas

Untitled - 1991

127 x 151 cm
Acrylic on canvas

Untitled - 1991

187 x 127 cm
Acrylic on canvas

Untitled - 1991

187 x 121 cm
Acrylic on canvas

Untitled - 1990

190 x 124 cm
Acrylic on canvas

Untitled - 1990

123 x 190 cm
Acrylic on canvas

Untitled - 1991

123 x 190 cm
Acrylic on canvas

Untitled - 1991

180 x 121 cm
Acrylic on canvas

Untitled - 1990

126 x 188 cm
Acrylic on canvas

Untitled - 1990s

126 x 152.2 cm
Acrylic on canvas

Untitled (Recto) - 1992

190 x 120 cm
Acrylic on canvas (Painting on both sides)

Untitled (Verso) - 1992

190 x 120 cm
Acrylic on canvas (Painting on both sides)

Esther Mahlangu

Born in 1935, Middeleburg, Afrique du Sud.

Lives and works in Mabhoko.

Esther Mahlangu is part of the Ndebele community in the Gauteng, located north of Pretoria. The Ndebele, unlike many other tribes in South Africa, have managed to preserve their centuries’ old ancestral traditions. Despite being a patriarchal society, artistic heritage is handed down from mother to daughter; as a young woman reaches puberty she withdraws from male society for three months and is taught the ceremonial patterns of Ndebele beadwork—in the nineteenth century this tradition was extended to decorative wall paintings, also executed exclusively by the Ndebele women.

Esther Mahlangu is an important proponent of this tradition. She draws freehand, without first measuring or sketching, using luminous and high-contrast vinyl paints that lend extraordinary vigor to her murals. While at a glance purely abstract, her compositions are built upon a highly inventive system of signs and symbols. Mahlangu is the first Ndebele artist to transpose wall paintings onto canvases and to take the conventions of her artwork into the larger arena. In 1989 she came to Paris to create murals Magiciens de la Terre exhibition, and by agreeing to undertake further commissioned works for public buildings like the Civic Theater of Johannesburg, for museums, for BMW, for Comme des Garçons, Mahlangu has made Ndebele art celebrated world over. She has stated: “My mother and grandmother taught me to paint when I was ten years old. I have been busy with it ever since and have always liked it. When I am painting my heart is very wide, it reaches out. It makes me feel very, very happy.”

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2024

Then I Knew I Was Good at Painting: Esther Mahlangu, A Retrospective, Iziko South African National Gallery, SA
1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, The Melrose Gallery, New York, USA

2023

Dr. Esther Mahlangu: The Breath of Calligraphy, Galerie Enrico Navarra, Paris, France
Dr. Esther Mahlangu: Where Two Rivers Meet, Almine Rech, London, UK; Paris, France2021

2020

Dr. Esther Mahlangu, Almine Rech, Paris, France
Esther Mahlangu 85, The Melrose Gallery, Johannesburg, SAAbstractions of a Culture: Towards a Retrospective, Investec Cape Town Art Fair, Past Modern
Section, The Melrose Gallery, SADisrupting Patterns, The Melrose Gallery at the One&Only, Cape Town, SA

2019

Timeless - Between Matter and Spirit by The Melrose Gallery, Oliewenhuis Art Museum,
Bloemfontein, SA
Timeless - Between Matter and Spirit by The Melrose Gallery, Investec Cape Town Art Fair, Cape Town,
SA

Esther Mahlangu, Arena Studio d’Arte, Verona, Italy

2017

A Tribute to Nelson Mandela, The Melrose Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa

2016

BMW Lounge, FRIEZE ART FAIR, London, UK

2015

Esther Mahlangu 80, UCT Irma Stern Museum, Cape Town, South Africa

2014

Esther Mahlangu: An Artistic Residency, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Virginia, USA

2012

Overlay – Esther Mahlangu, 34FineArt, Cape Town, South Africa

2008

Esther Mahlangu: Reacquiring

The Kyle Kauffman Gallery

New-York, USA

2007

Esther Mahlangu 2007

34 LONG

Cape Town, South Africa

2005

Esther Mahlangu

34 LONG

Cape Town, South Africa

2003

Esther Mahlangu

UCT Irma Stern Museum

Cape Town - South Africa

1998

Museum of Oceanian and African Art.

Paris, France.

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2024

Giants, the collection of Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz, Brooklyn Museum

La Biennale di Venezia -  60th International Art Exhibition / Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere , 20 April - 24 November 2024

What’s Mine, What’s Yours. Galeria La Cometa. Miami, USA

2022

When Rain Clouds Gather- Black South African Women Artists, 1940 – 2000, Norval
Foundation, Cape Town, SA
Bande-Annonce, La Collection Pigozzi à Cannes, Gare Maritime de Cannes, Cannes, France
SculptX 2022, The Melrose Gallery, Johannesburg, SA
Also Known As Africa (AKAA), The Melrose Gallery Collection, Carreau du Temple, Paris, France
1-54 Contemporary Art Fair, Albertz Benda in London, UK

2023

Artmonte-Carlo, Almine Rech at Grimaldi Forum, Monaco
Femme F(r)iction, New York, USA
Frontline, Swivel Gallery, New York, USA
In Dialogue: Abstraction & Figuration, Visioner, New York, USA
Geometric Abstraction, Alpha 137 Gallery, New York, USA
The Female Emperor, 137 Gallery, New York, USA
Unique Works: Paintings, Works on Paper and Board, Alpha 137 Gallery, New York, USA
Works By or About Black artists, Alpha 137 Gallery, New York, USA
To Weave the Sky: Textile Abstractions- Jorge M. Pérez Collection, EL Espacio 23, Miami, USA
Archipelago Hervé Di Rosa, Museu de Arte Arquitetura e Tecnologia (MAAT), Lisbon, Portugal
Africa Fashion, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, USA
Africa Supernova, Carla & Pieter Schulting Collection, Kunsthal KAdE, Amersfoort, Netherlands
1-54 Contemporary Art Fair London, Albertz Benda,
Heritage Exhibition, 20th Africa Growth and Opportunity Act Forum, Johannesburg, SA
Icons of Contemporary Art, Bellagio Fine Art Gallery, Las Vegas, USA

2022

When Rain Clouds Gather- Black South African Women Artists, 1940 – 2000, Norval
Foundation, Cape Town, SA
Bande-Annonce, La Collection Pigozzi à Cannes, Gare Maritime de Cannes, Cannes, France
SculptX 2022, The Melrose Gallery, Johannesburg, SA
Also Known As Africa (AKAA), The Melrose Gallery Collection, Carreau du Temple, Paris, France
1-54 Contemporary Art Fair, Albertz Benda in London, UK

2021

House Party, THEFOURTH, Cape Town, SA
Cosmogonies Zinsou: An African Collection, MO.CO. Hôtel des Collections, Montpellier,
France
Africa Staged, LIS10 Gallery, Arezzo, Italy

2022

When Rain Clouds Gather- Black South African Women Artists, 1940 – 2000, Norval
Foundation, Cape Town, SA
Bande-Annonce, La Collection Pigozzi à Cannes, Gare Maritime de Cannes, Cannes, France
SculptX 2022, The Melrose Gallery, Johannesburg, SA
Also Known As Africa (AKAA), The Melrose Gallery Collection, Carreau du Temple, Paris, France
1-54 Contemporary Art Fair, Albertz Benda in London, UK
2023 Artmonte-Carlo, Almine Rech at Grimaldi Forum, Monaco
Femme F(r)iction, New York, USA
Frontline, Swivel Gallery, New York, USA
In Dialogue: Abstraction & Figuration, Visioner, New York, USA
Geometric Abstraction, Alpha 137 Gallery, New York, USA
The Female Emperor, 137 Gallery, New York, USA
Unique Works: Paintings, Works on Paper and Board, Alpha 137 Gallery, New York, USA
Works By or About Black artists, Alpha 137 Gallery, New York, USA
To Weave the Sky: Textile Abstractions- Jorge M. Pérez Collection, EL Espacio 23, Miami, USA
Archipelago Hervé Di Rosa, Museu de Arte Arquitetura e Tecnologia (MAAT), Lisbon, Portugal
Africa Fashion, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, USA
Africa Supernova, Carla & Pieter Schulting Collection, Kunsthal KAdE, Amersfoort, Netherlands
1-54 Contemporary Art Fair London, Albertz Benda,
Heritage Exhibition, 20th Africa Growth and Opportunity Act Forum, Johannesburg, SA
Icons of Contemporary Art, Bellagio Fine Art Gallery, Las Vegas, USA
2024 Giants, the collection of Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz, Brooklyn Museum

Africa Staged, LIS10 Gallery, Arezzo, Italy
A Force For Change, Agora Gallery, New York, USA
POP- The Melrose Gallery Collection, Sandton City, Johannesburg, SA
Breaking Down the Walls, Iziko: South African National Gallery, Cape Town, SA

2016

South Africa the art of a nation, The British Museum, UK, 27 October 2016

2016

New design - Belvedere(RED), NY, USA

2015

Amref Health Africa Artball: Celebrating Contemporary African Art, New York, USAImibala Gallery, Somerset West, South Africa

Sneaker design with Swedish Company Eytys, Paris Fashion Week, France40 years of BMW Art Cars, BMW Museum, Munchen, Germany

2014/2015

Traditional African Murals, Museum of African Art, Belgrade

2014

Traditional African Murals, Museum of African Art, Belgrade, Serbia

Look Mickey!, 34FineArt, Cape Town, South Africa

Les Magiciens de la Terre, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France

Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain

Cape Town Art Fair, Cape Town, South Africa

2013

1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair, London, UK

2013 Urban Interpretation, Graffik Gallery, London, UK

2013 FourWalls, 34FineArt, Cape Town, SA

2012

Art Drive! Exhibition, Great Eastern Street Car Park in Shoreditch, London, UK

Urban Interpretation, 34FineArt, Cape Town, South Africa

Blend, 34FineArt, Cape Town, South Africa

2011

Durban Tourism Indaba, Durban, South Africa

Ensemble, 34FineArt, Cape Town, South Africa

ArtMonaco’1 1 , Monaco

Museum of Arts and Design, New York, USA

2010/2011

África. Objetos y Sujetos, Teatro Fernán Gómez. Centro de Arte, Madrid, Spain

2009 - 2010

Africa? Una nuova storia

Complesso del Vittoriano, Rome, Italy

2009

Sortileges, Fondation pour L'art Contemporain, Claudine et Jean-Marc Salomon, Alex, France

2008

Regeneration, Kyle Kauffman Gallery, New York

2007/2008

Why Africa?

Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli

Turin, Italy

2006/2007

100% Africa

Guggenheim Museum

Bilbao, Spain

2005

Arts of Africa

Grimaldi Forum

Monaco - France

2005

African Art Now : Masterpieces from the Jean Pigozzi Collection

Museum of Fine Art Houston

Houston - USA

2003

Dentro e Fuori le Mura

Fabbrica Eos

Milan – Italy

2002

Passport to South Africa

Centro Culturale Trevi,

Bolzano – Italy

2002

The Art of Colour

Knysna Fine Art Gallery

Knysna - South Africa

2001

Galleria Cavellini

Brescia – Italy

2001

South Africa Today

The Helsinki Fair Centre - Finland

2001

Tribal Soul, Metropolitan Body.

Contemporary African Art.

Spazia Art Gallery.

Bolona, Italy.

2000

Lyon 5th Biennal of Contemporary Art.

Halle Tony Garnier.

Lyon, France.

1998

Africa Africa Vibrant New Art from a Dynamic Continent.

Tobu Museum of Art.

Tokyo, Japan.

1997

Exhibit Gallery.

Philadelphia, USA.

1997

York College.

Los Angeles, California, USA.

1997

Mural for National Museum of Women in The Arts.

National Museum.

Washington D. C, USA.

1997

Ndebele Images Then and Now.

National Arts Club.

New York, USA.

1997

Oog Op Zuidelijk Afrika.

Berg en Dal, Holland.

1997

Portal to America.

Spoleto Festival.

Charleston, South Carolina, USA.

1996

Parish Gallery.

Georgetown.

Washington D.C, USA.

1996

Special Exhibit.

Congressional Black Caucus.

Washington D.C, USA.

1996

Amour J. Blackburn Center.

Howard University, Washington, USA.

1996

World Bank.

Washington D.C, USA.

1995

BMW Art Car and Paintings.

Sydney, Australia.

1995

Group Show of Paintings.

Market Theatre.

Johannesburg, South Africa.

1994

The BMW Art Car Collection and Paintings.

National Museum of Women in The Arts.

Washington D.C, USA.

1993

Geneva, International Exhibition.

Geneva, Switzerland.

1993

South African Meeting.

Lisboa, Portugal.

1993

La Grande Vérité, Les Astres Africains.

Nantes, Fine Arts Museum.

Nantes, France.

1992

Civic Theatre.

Johannesburg, South Africa.

1992

Fire Screen.

Civic Theatre.

Johannesburg, South Africa.

1992

NDEBELE.

"Comme des Garçons."

Tokyo, Japan.

New York, USA.

Paris, France.

1992

Out of Africa.

Gallery Saatchi.

London, UK.

1992

BMW Art Car.

Documenta 9.

Kassel, Germany.

1991

Fashion Collection.

Painting on Fabrics.

Tokyo, Japan.

1993-1991

AFRICA HOY

AFRICA NOW

NY AFRIKANSK BILLEDKUNST.

Atlantic Center of Modern Art.

Grand Canary Isle, Las Palmas, Spain.

Cultural Center of Modern Art.

Mexico City, Mexico.

Groninger Museum.

Groninger, Netherland.

Rundetarn, Danemark1991

BMW Art Car.

Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town.

South Africa.

1990

Caravan.

Auto Show.

Lavante, France.

1990

Bordeaux Festival .

Bordeaux, France.

1989

Magiciens de la Terre.

Georges Pompidou Center.

Paris, France.

1989

Fine Arts Museum.

Angouleme, France.

1989

Mural.

Fine Arts Museum.

Museum for African Art.

Paris, France.

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

2015

Njegovanović-Ristić, Nataša, Traditional African Murals, Exhibition catalog, The Museum of African Art, Veda and dr Zdravko Pecar Collection, 2015

2009

South African Art Now, Sue Williamson, Collins Design, 2009

2007

Why Africa?

Exhibition catalogue. Published by Electa & Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli.

2006

100% Africa

Exhibition catalogue. Published by TF Editores & FMGB Guggenheim Bilbao Museum.

2005

African Art Now: Masterpieces from the Jean Pigozzi Collection

Exhibition catalogue. Published by Merrell.

2003

Esther Mahlangu

By F.R. de Jager and A.G. Loots. Cape Town: Vgallery.

2001

Anima Tribal, Corpo Metropolitano.

Tribal Soul, Metropolitan Body, Mahlangu p.88-89.

Arte Africana Contemporanea, Contemporary African Art.

Exhibition Catalogue.

Publisher : l'Artiere Edizionitalia.

1998

Africa Africa Vibrant New Art from a Dynamic Continent.

Exhibition Catalogue.

Published and Edited by The Tobu Museum of Art. Tokyo, Japan.

1996

Contemporary Art of Africa.

Esther Mahlangu & Francina Ndimande by Jean-Michel Rousset.

Edited by André Magnin & Jacques Soulillou.

Publisher Harry N. Abraams.

1995

Ndebele by Ivor Powell.

Publisher Struik (Pry) Ltd.

Cape Town.

1989

Magiciens de la Terre.

Exhibition Catalogue.

Published by The Georges Pompidou Center, Paris - France