Born on November 11, 1935 in South Africa, Esther Mahlangu's art is inspired by her Ndebele heritage. The geometric, vivid patterns of the Ndebele people's jewelry and clothes shaped Mahlangu's signature style of colourful paintings, with white bounded lines set diagonally or shaped like chevrons.

Although Mahlangu's work remains closely tied to her traditions, she has applied her designs to a variety of objects, such as canvas, sculpture, ceramics, and even automobiles. She gained international recognition for her distinctive abstract art when she participated in the Centre Pompidou's 1989 group exhibition "Magiciens de la Terre (Magicians of the Earth). Mahlangu has been collaborating with renown museums, galleries, curators, art fairs, celebrities, and global brands worldwide. These prestigious collaborations have garnered significant critical acclaim and exposure. Mahlangu has attained an almost iconic status, particularly among celebrities, with a devoted following that includes collectors such as Oprah Winfrey, Usher, John Legend, Trevor Noah, Alicia Keys, among others. In 1991, she was commissioned by BMW to create the first "African Art Car," a BMW 525i painted with typical Ndebele motifs. The car was later exhibited at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC in 1994, and on view at the British Museum in 2017.

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Esther Mahlangu

Available works