Monsengwo Kejwamfi "Moke", (Democratic Republic of Congo, 1950-2001)

Moke n'a pas de l'argent (Moke doesn't have any money)

Moke n'a pas de l'argent (Moke doesn't have any money)
signed, titled and dated 'PEINTE/ MOKE/ 91' (lower right)
oil on canvas
176 x 130cm (69 5/16 x 51 3/16in).

Provenance
The Jean Pigozzi Contemporary African Art Collection.
Sold at Sotheby's, New Bond Street, 24 June 1999, lot 17.
Private collection.

Exhibited
Copenhagen, Rundetarn, My Afrikansk Billedkunst, 1991. Illustrated p.9.

Literature
A. Magnin & J. Soulillou, ed. Contemporary Art of Africa, New York, 1996. Illustrated p.114.

Along with Cheri Samba and Cheri Cherin, Moke was one of the leading figures of the Congolese Popular Painting school. These artists began their careers as advertisement and sign painters. Their eye-catching, satirical depictions of daily life in Kinshasa soon garnered attention and won the artists their first commissions.

Part of the appeal is the characteristic style in which the scenes are rendered. As art historian Jacques Soulillou has written:

"Over the years, Moke's work has managed to acquire an identity that enables it to be recognised without hesitation; it is well known both in Zaire and outside its borders."

Bibliography
A. Magnin & J. Soulillou, ed. Contemporary Art of Africa, (New York, 1996), p.12.