29th Oct, 2025 12:00
Modern & Contemporary African & Middle Eastern Art
11
ESTHER MAHLANGU (SOUTH AFRICAN B.1935)
signed and dated ESTHeR Mahlangu 2014 on the handle
acrylic on wood
33.2 x 48.7 x 8.1cm; 13 x 19 1/4 x 3in
Property of a Private Collector, Cambridge
Provenance
Acquired from the artist
Sale, Strauss and Co, Johannesburg, 1 August to 18 August 2025, lot 244
Acquired from the above by the present owner
The DinksFãStan Private Collection, Cambridge, UK
Esther Nikwambi Mahlangu is a South African artist of the Southern Ndebele people. She learned the Ndebele tradition of mural painting from her mother and grandmother from about age ten, and is credited with transforming that tradition - originally practiced on adobe walls - into a contemporary visual language on canvas, metal, vehicles and other unconventional supports. Her international breakthrough occurred in the 1989 Magiciens de la terre exhibition in Paris, and again in 1991 when she was commissioned to paint a BMW 5 Series as a part of the Art Car Program, alongside artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and Julie Mehretu.
Mhalangu’s distinct Ndebele patterns find their most playful application with the present lot. A simple tray is covered with Mahlangu’s hand-painted vibrant geometric designs. Executed in 2014, Untitled (Tray with Ndebele Pattern) demonstrates Mahlangu’s self-proclaimed proficiencies as the best mural painter of the Ndebele on a uniquely intimate scale. One of her murals is currently installed at the Serpentine Gallery, London until 31 March 2026.
A fundamental aspect of the design units that compose these paintings is their symmetry. Generally, there’s a bilateral equilibrium along a vertical and/or horizontal axis. Motifs can be painted both forward and backward to create a harmony within the design field.
This symmetry is more apparent in form of the design unit than in the application of color. Designs in Ndebele art do not symbolize specific cosmological or religious concepts, yet are adapted from various inspirations from daily life in South Africa. While the inclination for abstraction continues, new sources of inspiration now reflect modernity. Triangles, for example, habitually refer to electric light fixtures. Originally painted on walls, it is not surprising many of the design elements are architectural in nature. Houses, windows, and stairs can be rendered in triangles and rectangles, arrows, and step patterns
Sold for £1,500
signed and dated ESTHeR Mahlangu 2014 on the handle
acrylic on wood
33.2 x 48.7 x 8.1cm; 13 x 19 1/4 x 3in
Property of a Private Collector, Cambridge
Provenance
Acquired from the artist
Sale, Strauss and Co, Johannesburg, 1 August to 18 August 2025, lot 244
Acquired from the above by the present owner
The DinksFãStan Private Collection, Cambridge, UK
Esther Nikwambi Mahlangu is a South African artist of the Southern Ndebele people. She learned the Ndebele tradition of mural painting from her mother and grandmother from about age ten, and is credited with transforming that tradition - originally practiced on adobe walls - into a contemporary visual language on canvas, metal, vehicles and other unconventional supports. Her international breakthrough occurred in the 1989 Magiciens de la terre exhibition in Paris, and again in 1991 when she was commissioned to paint a BMW 5 Series as a part of the Art Car Program, alongside artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and Julie Mehretu.
Mhalangu’s distinct Ndebele patterns find their most playful application with the present lot. A simple tray is covered with Mahlangu’s hand-painted vibrant geometric designs. Executed in 2014, Untitled (Tray with Ndebele Pattern) demonstrates Mahlangu’s self-proclaimed proficiencies as the best mural painter of the Ndebele on a uniquely intimate scale. One of her murals is currently installed at the Serpentine Gallery, London until 31 March 2026.
Auction: Modern & Contemporary African & Middle Eastern Art, 29th Oct, 2025
If you want to start collecting striking modern and contemporary art in a newly developing market, our sales are for you. Each spring and autumn, the Modern and Contemporary African and Middle Eastern Department hold tightly curated, live and online auctions. Expect to find Arab artists such as Tahia Halim, Seif Wanly, Mahmoud Said and Mohanna Durra. African artists featured have ranged from modern masters such as Ablade Glover, Sam Ntiro and Jacob Hendrik Pierneef, to contemporary artists George Lilanga, Jilali Gharbaoui, Famakan Magassa, Christano Mangovo, Oluwole Omofemi, Esther Mahlangu and Brett Seiler.
PUBLIC EXHIBITION:
Sunday 26th October: 12pm to 4pm
Monday 27th October: 10am to 8pm (Drinks 5-8pm)
Tuesday 28th October: 10am to 5pm
