Tonio Trzebinski (Kenyan,1960–2001)
Untitled, no 6, 2000
signed ‘Tonio’ (lower right)
charcoal on paper
100 x 75cm
Ksh 1,300,000–1,500,000
US$ 14,800–17,000
Bought in
Provenance: The Artist’s Estate
Trzebinski was born in Nairobi and trained at Byam Shaw School of Art, Chelsea School of Art and The Slade in London and represented both schools at the Royal Academy of Arts. Even before graduating he caught the eye of his tutors, winning “Student of the Year” at Byam Shaw and won a number of prestigious scholarships.
Initially Trzebinski worked from a studio in east London, however, he longed for his birthplace so in 1988 he returned to Kenya. His career continued to thrive and by the turn of the century his large, gestural works were finding themselves into many international private collections. He had solo shows at the Museo Baglio di Stefano, Sicily in 1996, Nairobi National Museum in 1997 and was breaking into the mainstream when he had a solo exhibition in London at Lefevre Contemporary Art in 1999 and the Peter Findlay Gallery, New York, 2001.