John January Linda

Born in Mozambique, Linda was one of Edward Tingatinga’s cousins and his friend. He was one of the first five artists who studied under Tingatinga in the 60s. Of Makonde heritage, Linda helped Tingatinga prepare his paintings and soon began painting himself. His work differs from other ‘Tingatinga’ paintings by being less stylized and more expressive. After Tingatinga’s death in 1972, Linda moved to Bagamoyo where he stopped painting. This is therefore a very rare painting and one from the first generation of Tingatinga painters. It was bought in 1970 by an expat and later sold at auction to the current owner.