
Malangatana Valente Ngwenya(Mozambican, 1936-2011)Reclining nudes
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Malangatana Valente Ngwenya (Mozambican, 1936-2011)
signed and dated 'MALANGATANA/ 62' (lower left)
oil on canvas
58.5 x 80.5cm (23 1/16 x 31 11/16in).
Footnotes
Provenance
Gifted to Mr. Dennis Duerden by the artist in the 1960s.
By descent to the present owner.
Dennis Duerden's love-affair with West African culture began in the 1950s when he took up a position as an education officer in the Nigerian colonial service. He immersed himself in the local culture, swiftly becoming acquainted with the area's leading artists and writers. In 1956, his extensive knowledge was formally recognised when he was appointed assistant curator at the Jos Museum in central Nigeria.
Following Nigeria's independence in 1960, the colonial service was dissolved and Duerden returned to Britain. He was made director at the BBC World Service, where he established a seminal archive of interviews with African writers. Duerden's transcription efforts helped to bring these artists to an international stage and played a key role in establishing their reputations.
Malangatana was one of the artists that Duerden patronised. The above painting was gifted to the scholar when they met in the 1960s.