Born in 1934 in Kikwetu, Masasi District, Tanzania
Died in 2005 in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania
George Lilanga was born in Masasi, on the high plateaus along the border between Mozambique and Tanzania. Beginning in 1961, Makonde sculptors introduced him to sculpture. He later moved with them to the Dar es Salaam region, where working conditions were more favorable. In 1973, Lilanga co-founded Nyumba ya Sanaa (The House of Arts) with other artists and developed his work in both sculpture and painting.
His art draws deeply on Makonde culture and is shaped by a magical worldview in which ancestors, spirits, and natural forces play a central role. His works appear as staged scenes of ancestral, mythological, or legendary stories, performed by villagers or urban dwellers alike.
Although rooted in Makonde traditions, Lilanga’s sculptural and pictorial work reflects a profound shift: it signals the emergence of individual artistic talent and personal expression in Africa. His brightly colored, polychrome works display a highly developed aesthetic sensibility, while conveying sharp social critique and a gift for caricature.
Collections
Pas-Chaudoir Art Collection, Belgium
Collection Farida et Henri Seydoux, Paris, France
Collection Leridon, Paris, France
Collection Jean Pigozzi, Geneva, Switzerland
