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The Birth of Christ, by Frances Musango, Uganda, 1958
MEDIUM Gouache on paper
DIMENSIONS 33.5 x 25.8 cm
ACQUISITION anonymous gift
REFERENCE LDSAC 2021.2.10
Born in 1932, Francis Musango trained as a teacher and also joined the religious order of ‘The Brothers of Christian Instruction’. In 1954 he gained a scholarship to the school of art at Makerere University, where he studied under Margaret Trowell’s tutelage. Subsequently he worked as an art educator in Kitovu and later as Inspector of Schools, Arts and Crafts (1970-77), promoting art in the Ugandan curriculum. He became a lecturer at the Makerere School of Art in 1977 and head of department from 1986 to 1988. His religious commitment informs his paintings as this early work highlights, which depicts the nativity scene in a Ugandan landscape with skilful layered brushwork of rich colours and hues. In the 1970s, at the height of General Idi Amin’s dictatorship, the use of religious themes in the visual arts was the only safe way to express criticism of the regime.
This is part of the SOAS Artwork & Object Collections. See more https://www.soas.ac.uk/gallery/collections/
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