Untitled

Simon George Mpata’s style of painting is often referred to as Tinga Tinga, a reference to his half brother Edward Tingatinga who organized a group of self-taught artists in Dar es Salaam. Distinguished by bright colors on fiberboard, the majority of the group’s paintings focus on animals in curvilinear decorative patterns. Here, Mpata depicts a scene of fishermen with their catch on Africa’s east coast.

Square painting on fiberboard of fishermen (two men, six fish, one boat)

Simon George Mpata (1942-1984), Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; sold to Ambassador W. Beverly Carter, Jr. (1921-1982) and Carlyn Carter while stationed in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, between July 1972-October 1975; donated to the National Museum of African Art, Washington, D.C., 1979.

Currents: Water in African Art, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., June 2016-ongoing

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