Lot 57

Anthony Githaiga Wanjau (Kenyan,1971)
Toothbrush, 2022
Signed ‘A. Wanjau 2022’ (lower left on top of thigh
Nairobi blue stone
40 x 52 x 34 cm
Ksh 90,000 – 160,000
(US$) 790 – 1,390
Provenance: direct from the artist
Sold Ksh 187,840

Wanjau comes from a family of Kenyan sculptors, his father Samuel Wanjau was famous in the 1980 and 1990s and Anthony, his older brother, Jackson and nephew, Samuel have carried on this tradition. He joined Kuona Trust in 1999 and has been associated with the studio space for over 20 years, exhibiting in group exhibitions and doing commissions.

Working directly in wood and stone without sketching the form first, Wanjau is an instinctive artist, he seems to understand how to find the form within the material and how to bring it out with humour and a light heartedness. His work is minimal, using only necessary details to simplify a human form. His subjects go about their daily lives, doing chores, using tools, picking flowers, squashing a mosquito, removing jiggers or studying. This sculpture, is part of a series called Mirroring, where children try to copy adult activities, such as; brushing teeth, combing hair or putting on make-up.

Nairobi Blue stone has natural air bubbles so the small hollows on the surface of the sculpture are natural.