AFRICA MASKS
signed in English R.Ntila lower right
acrylic on canvas
80 x 63cm; 31 1/2 x 24 3/4in
92 x 77cm; 36 1/4 x 30 1/3in (framed)

Property of a Private Collector, London

Provenance
Acquired from the artist in Dar es Salaam circa 2014-15

Born in the town of Ndanda in the Mtwara Region of southern Tanzania, Ntila came to Dar es Salaam in the 1970s. He was a veteran of the Nyumba ya Sanaa (House of Art) Artists Association. Whilst there, he learned painting, print making and other techniques and worked as an artist and chief coordinator. His art brought him more than ten times to Austria where he specialised in producing etchings. From 1992 onwards, Ntila worked as a freelance artist, conducting workshops in Africa, curating local and international exhibitions and promoting Tanzanian art.

He is considered to be one of the preeminent artists in these fields in eastern and southern Africa. Known for his abstracted figuration, this technique enabled him to express his true inner feelings without any perceived borders or time contstraints.