Mwenze Kibwanga Biography
Mwenze Kibwanga (1925-1999) was born in Kilumba, Belgian Congo.
In 1950 he was admitted to the Académie d'art populaire indigène, later known as the Atelier du Hangar, founded by Pierre Romain-Desfossés. In a short time, Mwenze Kibwanga established himself as an important representative of the group. His works were characterized by an aesthetic and poetic originality, focused on daily and animal life: preparation of meals, hunting, resting antelopes. The human figure is omnipresent.
Son of a weaver, each work recalled the texture of a fabric, giving rhythm and color to his representation of reality. With thick, contrasting strokes, he used his thumb until 1952, then switched to brushes. After the closure of the Hangar, Mwenze Kibwanga became a professor at the Lubumbashi Academy of Fine Arts. He participated in numerous international exhibitions and fairs, such as the Lausanne Fair in 1974 and the Foire des avant-gardistes in Paris in 1975. With his surprising innovation, Mwenze Kibwanga's works are present in the collections of international museums.
He died in 1999 in Lubumbashi, leaving behind numerous students who have become established contemporary artists.
