Circle Art Auction 2015 Lot 31 Adeusi Mandu Mmatambwe

Adeusi Mandu Mmatambwe (Tanzanian, c. 1914 – c. 1984)
Untitled (Mashetani), undated
Signed ‘Adeusi’ (lower right)
Enamel paint on board
63 x 64cm

Ksh 132,000-165,000
(US$ 1,200-1,500)
Sold Ksh 152,620

Provenance: private collection of the Emerson Foundation, Zanzibar

A relative of E.S. Tingatinga’s wife, Adeusi Mandu Mmatambwe moved to Dar es Salaam in around 1971 along with Simon Mpata, Abdallah Ajaba and Tedo Kasper Henrick, where they were tutored by E.S. Tingatinga.

This work by Adeusi demonstrates how the students of Tingatinga developed the style, introducing new motifs such as mashetani (spirits and devils).

After the death of E.S. Tingatinga, Adeusi trained several artists who became the second generation of Tingatinga painters.