Art, Design & Fashion
Landmark
Esther Mahlangu
born 1935
Took Ndebele wall painting onto a BMW and into the world's museums
Landmark is level 2 of 4 in the South Africa Hall of Fame: a first that opened a door, or the pre-eminent figure of their generation in this country. See how the levels work.
Why they are here
She learned to paint house walls from her mother and grandmother at ten. At fifty-six she became the first woman and the first African to paint a BMW Art Car.
Esther Mahlangu was born on 11 November 1935 on a farm outside Middelburg in Mpumalanga, a member of the Southern Ndebele. She began painting at ten, taught by her mother and grandmother in the Ndebele tradition of decorating the outer walls of houses with patterns marking events in the life of the community.
In 1991 she painted a BMW 525i in Ndebele designs, the first woman and the first African artist to take part in the Art Car project, and was commissioned again for a 7 Series in 2016. She opened an art school in her home town to teach the technique to younger Ndebele painters.
In 1991 she painted a BMW 525i in Ndebele designs, the first woman and the first African artist to take part in the Art Car project, and was commissioned again for a 7 Series in 2016. She opened an art school in her home town to teach the technique to younger Ndebele painters.
- Wikipedia — Esther Mahlangu
- BMW Group — Esther Mahlangu BMW 525i, 1991
- Wallpaper — Esther Mahlangu's first retrospective features the iconic BMW 525i Art Car
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