CV Esther Mahlangu : vgallery.co.za

Esther Mahlangu ( 1935 -

' Esther Mahlangu is regarded as one of our most important traditional Ndebele artists. She is best known, as the first person to transfer the traditional mural art to canvas and also decorated a BMW motor vehicle with traditional designs. She utilizes feathers, twigs and bundled-twigs as brushes in the traditional way, utilising natural pigment but also works with conventional paints. ' Born 1935 in Middelburg, Mphumalanga, South Africa.
Studies :
She learned the skill of mural painting from her mother and grandmother. Between 1980 - 91 she was a resident at the Botshebelo open air museum, designed to present a view of the Ndebele culture to visitors.
Exhibitions:
2008	'Reacquiring' - Kyle Kauffman Gallery, New York, March 27-May 10, 2008 The Speed Art Museum, December 23, 2007 — March 16, 2008 Denver Museum of Art, April 13 — July 6, 2008 Philadelphia Museum of Art, August 2 — October 2, 2008
2007	'Why Africa?' - Exhibition Opening At The Pinacoteca Agnelli, Turin, Italy Durban Art Museum Berlin and Beyond Art in Public Places, Florida USA Orlando Museum of Art, January 28 — April 22, 2007 The Walters Art Museum, June 17 — August 26, 2007 Tacoma Museum of Art, September 25 — December 9, 2007 34LONG, Cape Town August 7 - September 1
2006	Indianapolis Museum of Art 34 LONG, Cape Town Roppongi Hills Art Museum, Japan
2005	Solo Exhibition - 34 Long, Cape Town National Museum of Art, USA Yokohama Triennale, Japan Museum of Fine Art, Houstin, Texas, USA Arts of Africa, Grimaldi Forum, Monaco - France Project Row Houses, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Texas Contemporary South African Art, Pretoria Art Museum Contemporary South African Art, Johannesburg Art Gallery Galleria Spacia, Italy South Africa - US Native American Exchange Project, Institute of American Indian Arts - Sante FE, NM.
2004	Contemporary South African Art, Museum Bochum, Germany New Orleans Jazz Festival South Africa Stage
2003	Dentro e Fuori le Mura, Fabbrica Eos, Milano, Italy
2003	First Solo Exhibition in South Africa, UCT Irma Stern Museum, Cape Town, South Africa
2002	Passport from S.Africa, Centro Culturale "Trevi", Bolzano Knysna Fine Art Gallery, Knysna
2001	Arte Africana contemporanea, Galleria d'arte Spazia, Bologna, Italy Galleria Cavellini, Brescia, Italy South Africa Today, The Helsinki Fair Centre, Finland
2000	5th Biennale of Contemporary Art in Lyons, France Dialogue of cultures, EXPO 2000, Hannover, Germany
1999	<<REWIND>>FAST FORWARD, Van Reekum Museum, Appeldoorn, Netherlands
1998	Musée des Arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie, Paris France Africa Africa, Tobu Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan
1997	York College Art Gallery, Pennsylvania, USA Ndebele Images Then and Now, National Arts Club, New York, USA Oog op Zuidelijke Afrika, Berg en Dal, Holland Portal to America, Installation, Spoleto Festival, Charelstown, South Carolina, USA African Immigrant Folklife Festival, Washington D.C., USA Exhibit Gallery, Philadelphia, USA Mural for National Museum of Woman in the Arts, Washington D.C., USA Ndebele Images Then and Now, National Arts Club, New York, USA
1996	Parish Gallery - Georgetown, Washington D.C., USA Exhibition for the Congressional Black Caucus, Washington, D.C., USA Armour J. Blackburn Centre, Howard University, Washington, D.C., USA World Bank, Washington, D.C., USA Mural - Ministry of Finance Building, Pretoria, South Africa Mural - Alexandra Township Stadium, Johannesburg
1995	BMW Art Car and paintings Exhibition, Sydney, Australia Group show, Market Theatre, Johannesburg
1994	BMW Art Car Collection, National Museum of Woman in the Arts, Washington D.C., USA Mural for National Museum of Woman in Arts, Washington D.C., USA Mural - Ndebele College of Education, Kwandebele, South Africa Mural - African Festival, Lisbon, Portugal Mural - European Inventive Business Travel Meetings Exhibition, Geneva, Switzerland Out of Africa, Musée des Beaux Arts de Nantes, France
1993	Painted Pillars in Art Gallery, Nantes, France
1992	Fire Screen, Civic Theatre, Johannesburg BMW Art Car, Documentra 9, Kassel, Germany Africa Hoy, Groninger Museum, Holland Africa Hoy, Cultural Centre of Contemporary Art, Mexico City, Mexico Comme des Garçons, Tokyo, Japan; New York, USA and Paris, France Out of Africa, Gallery Saatchi, London, UK
1991	BMW Art Car, Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town Painting Columns in Building, Tokyo, Japan Ny Afrikansk Billed Kunst, Copenhagen, Denmark Caravan( trailer ) Auto Show, Lavante, Paris, France European Inventive Business Travel Meetings Exhibition, Lisboa, Portugal Geneva International Exhibition, Geneva, Switzerland Fashion Collection, Tokyo, Japan Africa Hoy, Centro Atlantico de Arte Moderna, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
1990	Caravan ( trailer ) Auto Show, Lavante, France Bordeaux Festival, Bordeaux, France Mural Painting, Rosebank Shopping Centre, South Africa Mural Painting, Johannesburg School, South Africa
1989	Group show, Centre de la Villette, Paris, France Les Magiciens de la Terre, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France Fine Arts Museum, Angouleme, France Mural Painting, Musée des Beaux Arts – Museum for African Art, Paris, France
Awards:
2006	The Order of Ikhamanga, Silver - Government of South Africa
2001	Arts and Culture Award, Art Promotion
2001	Pan African Broadcasting, Heritage and Achievement Award
2001	Radio Ndebele Award
1999	Mpumalanga Arts and Culture Award
1997	Nassau County, NY, USA, Commondation
1997	Village of Hampstead, NY, USA Citation
1997	Ministry of Culture and Communication, Centre de la Villette, France
1996	Mpumalanga Premiers Award
1988	Radio Ndebele Award
Represented:
Meulensteen Art Museum, Bratislava Johnnic Communications Management Services Collection, Johannesburg Museum Bochum, Germany BOE Bank, Cape Town National Gallery, Cape Town Musée des Arts d'Afrique et Océanie, Paris, France Bothabelo Museum, South Africa BMW Car Collection, Germany World Bank Collection BHP Billiton Collection, Johannesburg RE:CM Collection, Cape Town Pretoria Art Museum, Pretoria Roppongi Hills Art Museum, Japan Esther's work is also in numerous private collections in South Africa and abroad
Publications:
Courtney-Clarke, M. 1986. Ndebele. London: Thames & Hudson. Reprinted in 2002. (ISBN 0-500-28387-7) Loots, AG and De Jager, FR. 2003. Esther Mahlangu. Cape Town: Vgallery. (ISBN 0-620-30600-9) Magnin, A and Soulillou, J. 1996. Contemporary Art of Africa. London: Thames & Hudson. (ISBN 0-500-01713-1) Magubane, P. and Klopper, S. 2001. African Heritage, Arts and Crafts. Cape Town : Struik. ( ISBN 1 86872 516 2 ) Magubane, P. and Klopper, S. 2001. African Heritage. Cape Town: Struik. (ISBN 1 86872583 9) Mountain, A. 1995. Ndebele Artist Nation. Indaba, Mini Curio. Cape Town: Struik. (ISBN 1 86825848 3)