Lot 32

Tabitha Wa Thuku (Kenyan, born 1963)
Untitled (circa 2000)
Unsigned
Light World (2001)
Signed ‘Tabitha wa Thuku 2001’ (lower right)
Acrylic on canvas
44 x 62.5 cm
37 x 59.5 cm
Ksh 200,000 – 300,000
(US$) 1,800 – 2,600
Provenance: Direct from the artist

Sold Ksh 210,780

Born in the year of Independence, Tabitha Wa Thuku began her creative practice as a young, self-taught artist and one of the only female artists of her generation. With a career approaching three decades, Wa Thuku has made a name for herself as a painter unencumbered by convention, her works distinguished by a varied palette which ranges from subtle browns to rich reds. These two small paintings beautifully render nature, a subject to which Wa Thuku has returned constantly.

Tabitha Wa Thuku has created and exhibited consistently since 1988. She originally studied textiles and clothing technology at Kenya Polytechnic, then later, from 1996 to 1999, attended the Buruburu Institute of Fine Arts. Wa Thuku had undertaken various workshops and residencies to develop a wide range of techniques, demonstrated in her extensive body of work. In addition to her own artistic production, she has also worked in various organizations as an art educator, teaching and mentoring children and young artists.

Wa Thuku has exhibited regularly throughout her career in Kenya and abroad, including in The Netherlands, Italy, Hong Kong and Denmark, and her work is included in private and public collections in Kenya, including those of the National Museum of Kenya, the Safaricom collection, PwC and MMC Africa Law.