Malangatana Ngwenya

Malangatana Ngwenya (2009)

Malangatana Valente Ngwenya (born June 6, 1936 in Matalana , Marracuene District , Mozambique ; † January 5, 2011 in Matosinhos , Portugal ) was a Mozambican painter , sculptor and poet . As an artist, he used his first name Malangatana.

biography

He attended mission schools and at the age of twelve came to Lourenço Marques, today's Maputo , where he worked as a "moleque" to supervise children. In 1953 he worked as a ball boy in a tennis club, which allowed him to continue his training and supervise classes at night. He developed an interest in the arts and became a professional artist in 1960, thanks in part to the help of the Portuguese architect Pancho Guedes , who gave him space for his studio. In 1961, at the age of 25, he had his first exhibition at the Banco Nacional Ultramarino . In 1963 he published some of his poems in the newspaper "Orfeu Negro" and was included in the "Antologia da Poesia Moderna Africana".

At that time he was charged as a member of FRELIMO , put in prison - and in the famous Vila Algarve , among other places - and only released on March 23, 1966. On January 4, 1971, he was arrested again, the symbolism of his image on September 25 to explain that shortly before the Núcleo de Arte was issued what his departure threatened to Portugal, where he was a scholarship from the Gulbenkian Foundation had received the Studied printmaking and ceramics.

After Mozambique gained independence, he was elected MP for FRELIMO in 1990. He was elected to the Maputo City Council in 1998 and re-elected in 2003. He took part in literacy campaigns and in organizing villages in Nampula Province . He was one of the founders of the "Movimento Moçambicano para a Paz" and participated in the "Artistas do Mundo contra o Apartheid ".

plant

'A força do três' (1987)

His work revolved around historical and political events in Mozambique, Portuguese colonialism up to independence in 1975, the anti-colonial struggle and, after the country's independence, issues such as the civil war. After that, the range of his work became broader and more universal. He described the hardship of life and its heroic aspects and expressed himself sensually about love.

Over the years many solo exhibitions have taken place in Mozambique, Austria, Bulgaria, Chile, Cuba, USA, Spain, India, Macau, Portugal and Turkey. He painted several murals or engraved in cement. In addition to painting, his drawings, watercolors, prints, ceramics, carpets and sculptures became known and he was exhibited in several museums and public galleries as well as in private collections around the world.

Awards

Malangatana was honored with the Nachingwea medal for his services to Mozambican culture and in 1995 he received the Grand Officer of the Order of Infante Dom Henrique .

In 1997, UNESCO recognized him as an “Artist for Peace” and he was awarded the Prince Claus Prize .

In 2010 he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Évora and he was honored by the French government as Commandeur des Arts et Lettres .

Malangatana was also one of the few foreigners who were appointed honorary members of the GDR Academy of the Arts .

literature

• Sabine Hollburg, Gereon Sievernich: Modern Art from Africa, Exhibition Catalog Berlin 1979
• Justino António Cardoso: Malangatana , produced by Marilena Streit-Bianchi for Nairucu Arts, April 2014, in Portuguese / English / French, 57 pages ISBN 978-2-9700725-7-7

Web links

• African Contemporary Art Gallery website
• Malangatana Valente Ngwenya in the Internet Movie Database (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Justino António Cardoso: Malangatana , Ed .: Marilena Streit-Bianchi, April 2014
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Malangatana distinguido com doutoramento honoris causa. CienciaHoje, February 2, 2010, accessed June 18, 2013 . 
3. ↑ ^{a b c} Lothar Berger: The great Mozambique painter is dead. South Africa, 2011, accessed on June 18, 2013 .