Artist
William Kentridge
South Africa · 1955–
William Kentridge makes films from charcoal drawings he draws, erases and redraws, the Drawings for Projection, and operas and sculpture about South Africa.
African printmakers
27 artists
Printmaking has a special place in modern African art. Prints are cheap to make and easy to share, and in the twentieth century workshops across the continent used them to train artists and to tell stories. At the Rorke's Drift art centre in South Africa, the Namibian John Muafangejo made black-and-white linocuts of Bible stories, history and his own life that are among the best-loved African prints. In Nigeria, Bruce Onobrakpeya invented new ways of etching and relief printing, and the Mbari workshops at Osogbo spread printmaking to self-taught artists.
Today's printmakers range from William Kentridge, whose drawings and etchings sit alongside his films, and Diane Victor, known for her smoke drawings and etchings, to Rachid Koraïchi, who works with calligraphy and signs, Barthélémy Toguo of Cameroon, and the Sudanese printmaker Mohammad Omer Khalil in New York. These are Africa's printmakers with Wikipedia articles, most looked-up first. See also African painters.
Profiles
Printmaker and painter
Bruce Onobrakpeya
Nigeria · 1932–
Bruce Onobrakpeya, of the Zaria Art Society, invented printmaking techniques drawing on Urhobo culture and founded the Harmattan Workshop in Agbarha-Otor.
More artists
Most looked-up first. Names link to our profile, or to Wikipedia where we do not have one yet. Short descriptions from Wikidata; portraits from Wikimedia Commons. Image credits
Barthélémy Toguo · Cameroon · 1967–Cameroonian painter
Jo Ractliffe · South Africa · 1961–South African photographer and video artist
- Paul Ahyi · Togo · 1930–2010
Artist, sculptor, architect
- Rachid Koraïchi · Algeria · 1947–
Algerian artist
- Diane Victor · South Africa · 1964–
South African artist
Nadia Kaabi-Linke · Tunisia · 1978–Tunisian artist
- Uzo Egonu · Nigeria · 1931–1996
British-Nigerian artist
Henry Tayali · Zambia · 1943–1987Zambian artist, sculptor, printmaker, and lecturer
- John Muafangejo · Namibia · 1943–1987
Namibian artist
- Anton Kannemeyer · South Africa · 1967–
South African comics artist
Abdallah Sadouk · Morocco · 1950–2026Moroccan painter
Michael Gitlin · South Africa · 1943–Israeli artist
- Mohammad Omer Khalil · Sudan · 1936–
Sudanese artist
- Ibram Lassaw · Egypt · 1913–2003
American artist
Sue Williamson · South Africa · 1941–South African artist
Judith Mason · South Africa · 1938–2016South African artist
Jussuf Abbo · Egypt · 1888–1953Jewish sculptor
Amna Elhassan · Sudan · 1988–Sudanese painter and architect
- Norman Catherine · South Africa · 1949–
South African artist
- Mariam A. Aleem · Egypt · 1930–2010
Egyptian artist
Senzeni Marasela · South Africa · 1977–South African visual artist
Menhat Helmy · Egypt · 1925–2004Artist and pioneer in Egyptian etchings and printmaking
- Jeremy Wafer · South Africa · 1953–
South African sculptor
- Robert Hodgins · South Africa · 1920–2010
South African painter and printmaker
- Claudette Schreuders · South Africa · 1973–
South African artist