

With Kentridge, painting or becomes a process of recording history.

However, due to the expressive character of his works and the ease with which he switches from surface to surface, it is clear to say the diction between painting versus drawing seems to disappear with the South-African master. One might argue Kentridge is rather a draughtsman or printmaker than a painter. Born in 1955 in Johannesburg, South Africa, the iconic artist continues to work and reside in Johannesburg. Courtesy Lia Rumma, Napoli / Milan.Īrguably the most important African artist up to this day, William Kentridge is one of the most important contemporary painters, and opens our article in true style. William Kentridge, Triumphs and Laments Procession Silhouette 6, 2016. So, without further ado, let’s discover the best African painters today. We complete the top 30 with a visual anthology of 19 highly ranked mid-career African painters in alphabetical order, resulting in the most extensive online resource on the matter. As we can only touch briefly an every painter, we have included hyperlinks to monographic publications for further reading. The top 11 consists of the most important – highest ranked – African painters today including a short biography. But what about contemporary painting? As a result, for this article we are pleased to present you an extensive and reasoned selection of mid-career and established artists and artworks. Since the turn of the new millennium, African contemporary art has found its way into the international mainstream of the art world. An utmost intriguing symbiosis arises of African culture, the implementation of native media, symbols, and various issues encompassing economic disparity, shaky sovereignty, an uneasy transition to capitalism, a clash of tradition versus globalization, public health and racial conflicts, including the lingering effects of the collective trauma of the colonial era. African artists have taken the responsibility to define, write or paint their own history and identity. The decolonization of the African nations in the post-war era resulted in a period of substantial change and upheaval.Īs a result, a highly interesting socio-political climate arose for contemporary African art to prosper. The contemporary era seems to run parallel with post-colonialism. Today we take on the African continent, scoping its artistic landscape for the very best African painters you need to know. Introduction: Contemporary African painters
