Lot 15

Wanyu Brush (Kenyan, born 1947)
City of Sodom and Gomorrah, undated
Signed ‘W.BRUSH’ (lower right). ‘WBrush’ (verso)
Gouache on paper
23.8 x 35 cm
Ksh 79,000 – 101,000
(US$) 700 – 900 ARR
Provenance: private collection

Sold Ksh 140,880

One of Kenya’s most celebrated painters, Wanyu Brush became a widely exhibited and collected artist in the 1980s and 1990s, both locally and internationally. Brush co-founded the Ngecha Art Group with fellow artists including Sane Wadu and was part of Ruth Schaffner’s stable of artists at Gallery Watatu.

In this fluid gouache work, forms seem to drift on the wind, oscillating between human and animal, liquid, line and air. Best known for his vibrant and chaotic configurations of human and animal forms, this ethereal painting, which was bought from Gallery Watatu around 30 years ago, is a special find.