Salum Mussa, African Tingatinga School Composition, Oil on Board, 1970s

Salum Mussa Mzee Lumumba (1926-1999) was one of Edward Saidi Ting Ting’s cousins. After his death in 1973, he took up painting, which he had been watching Edward for 30 years.

Tinga Tinga is an art style originating from East Africa. It was established in 1968 and created by Eduardo Saidi Ting Ting, who came from the Makua ethnic group in the south-eastern part of Tanzania, which is not without significance for his work. In his paintings, Tinga Tinga drew inspiration from his childhood, from the natural environment in which he grew up. He painted on hardboard and used shimmering enamels to paint bicycles. His successors replaced the board with canvas, and the painting style became more dynamic. Complicated compositions appeared in the background. Most often savanna and Kilimanjaro landscape. The filling of the picture has numerous decorative elements – ornaments, tangled branches, geometric patterns that fill the whole background. The catalog of themes has also been expanded, with more and more genre scenes, the motif of a marketplace, ghosts, and satirical performances. The color palette has also been enriched – especially with bright colors. Tinga Tinga’s paintings are in many museums and collections. Hundreds of exhibitions have been organized around the world. The most popular paintings are in Germany, Switzerland and Japan.

Work in original vintage condition. The board has minor signs of use.