Study for Fishermen, 1986. Charcoal on paper.
Lot 5

Juma Mwakalinga (1958–2019)

Study for Fishermen, 1986

Charcoal on paper

50 × 65 cm

Estimate KES 180,000–260,000

Bidding

Current bid

KES 95,000

2 bids · Reserve not yet met

Time left

16m 31s

Closes 05:38

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Bids · 2

  1. KES 95,000 Paddle 483 Online 05:20
  2. KES 90,000 Paddle 268 Online 05:10

About the work

A study for the painting Fishermen Mending Nets, offered as lot 8 in our live sale. Two of the four fishermen are here, drawn quickly with the side of the charcoal, and the net is already the line that holds the picture together.

Condition

Good. Some smudging at the edges, as is usual with charcoal. Pin holes at the corners.

Provenance

The artist's studio; acquired from the artist's family, 2021.

The artist

Mwakalinga painted the working life of Dar es Salaam for four decades: the fish market at dawn, the crowds of Kariakoo, the women who sold cloth at Mwenge. He broke each scene into flat, tilting planes of muted green and terracotta, so that a street becomes a pattern of shade and weight. He taught drawing at a secondary school until 2004, and painted at weekends and through the long school holidays.

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