Esther Mahlangu Handbook
Esther Mahlangu Handbook is backordered and will ship as soon as it is back in stock.
This timely and visually striking volume offers a long-overdue exploration of Dr. Esther Mahlangu (born 1935), the internationally acclaimed South African artist whose practice defies divisions between "traditional" and "contemporary" art. Grounded in the visual language of her Ndebele heritage, Mahlangu transforms this lineage into a powerful tool for self-expression and global dialogue. She has exhibited at major institutions, including the Centre Pompidou and Louvre Abu Dhabi, and in 1991 became the first woman and African artist commissioned to create a BMW Art Car―joining a legacy that includes Andy Warhol and David Hockney. Mahlangu expands painting's role in contemporary life, from monumental murals to brand collaborations. The Esther Mahlangu Handbook positions her work firmly within contemporary discourse, rejecting reductive categorizations of her practice as "folk" or "ethnographic," and affirming her place in the global art historical canon―as a trailblazing visual artist and beloved cultural ambassador of the Ndebele nation.
Hardcover / 162 pages
Dimensions: 4.5" x 7.2"
Organized by the Brooklyn Museum, Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys brings together monumental contemporary art and historic masterworks from the personal collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys. On view from September 19, 2026 – February 28, 2027 at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, this landmark exhibition explores Black identity, creativity, power, and cultural legacy through the work of some of today's most influential artists. |




