Malangatana Valente Ngwenya, (Mozambican, 1936-2011)

Untitled 25 1/2 x 24 1/8in (64.8 x 61.3cm)

Untitled
signed and dated 'MALANGATANA 8-9-65' (lower left)
oil on artist's board
25 1/2 x 24 1/8in (64.8 x 61.3cm)

Like most of Malangatana's paintings from mid 1960s, this work depicts the concerns and struggles of ordinary people while his native Mozambique fought for independence from Portugal.

Malangatana was a prominent figure in Mozambique and also played an important role in imagining a broader Africanist aesthetic in Europe and America. His work was intimately connected with his politics and reflects the socio-political conditions of Mozambique, whether during the struggle for independence (gained in 1975) or later during the civil war (1977–92).