David Herekia Mzuguno, 1951–2010

David Mzuguno began painting in 1967 and gained recognition in 1969 at the age of eighteen, when he won third prize in the Esso Calendar Competition.

Originally from the Kilimanjaro region (Pare district) and of the Mpare tribe, he was born in 1951 in the village of Gonja Bombo, where he also attended primary school at the Lutheran Mission.

In 1967, Mzuguno arrived in Dar es Salaam and two years later moved to Msasani to live with his uncle. While attending secondary school — where he studied art — he often passed by the Tingatinga painters and initially mocked their non-realistic style.

After completing Form 4 in 1972, he worked as a mining prospector from 1973 to 1979, but continued painting and selling his works to hotels.

In 1979, Mzuguno abandoned his realistic style and joined the Tingatinga Partnership, adopting the Tingatinga style, which was more commercially successful at the time. Mruta accepted him as member no. 42.

Mzuguno remained at the Tingatinga Centre until 1989. He sold more paintings than many of his peers, partly because his education allowed him to speak English with customers. After leaving the Centre, he spent several years painting for a Japanese guest at the University of Dar es Salaam.

He later continued his career independently, painting at his home in Kahaba, 15 km from the city center. In December 2003, he held a solo exhibition at the Alliance Française in Dar es Salaam.

Mzuguno passed away in June 2010. He was one of the most educated painters in the Tingatinga movement, and his work is celebrated for its originality and meticulous depictions of rural life, filled with lush, intricate vegetation.

source: “Tinga Tinga, the popular paintings from Tanzania”, Y. Goscinny; “Art in Tanzania 2000”, Y. Goscinny