Esther Mahlangu South African , b. 1935

Overview
In 1991, Esther Mahlangu became the first woman and first African to participate in the BMW Art Car Collection

Esther Mahlangu is globally acclaimed for her bright and bold abstract paintings that are inspired by Ndebele design.

 

She was a disruptor from an early age, becoming the first person to reimagine Ndebele design that is tradionally used for decorating houses on contemporary mediums.

 

Dr Mahlangu has spent more than 7 decades practising her artform and has travelled extensively to collaborate with the world's most respected museums, galleries, curators, art fairs, celebrities and global brands.

 

In 1991 she became the first lady and first African to participate in the BMW Art Car Collection alongside other notables of the likes of Andy Warhol, David Hockney, Roy Lichtenstein and Frank Stella.

Works
  • Esther Mahlangu, Ndebele Abstract, 2025
    Ndebele Abstract, 2025
    Reserved
  • Esther Mahlangu, Ndebele Abstract, 2024
    Ndebele Abstract, 2024$ 30,000.00
  • Esther Mahlangu, Ndebele Abstract, 2025
    Ndebele Abstract, 2025$ 28,000.00
  • Esther Mahlangu, Ndebele Abstract, 2025
    Ndebele Abstract, 2025$ 28,000.00
  • Esther Mahlangu, Ndebele Abstract, 2025
    Ndebele Abstract, 2025$ 28,000.00
  • Esther Mahlangu, Ndebele Abstract, 2024
    Ndebele Abstract, 2024$ 25,000.00
  • Esther Mahlangu, Ndebele Abstract, 2024
    Ndebele Abstract, 2024$ 25,000.00
  • Esther Mahlangu, Ndebele Abstract, 2023
    Ndebele Abstract, 2023
    Reserved
  • Esther Mahlangu, Ndebele Abstract, 2025
    Ndebele Abstract, 2025$ 20,000.00
  • Esther Mahlangu, Ndebele Abstract, 2025
    Ndebele Abstract, 2025$ 20,000.00
  • Esther Mahlangu, Ndebele Abstract, 2024
    Ndebele Abstract, 2024$ 20,000.00
  • Esther Mahlangu, Ndbele Abstract, 2017
    Ndbele Abstract, 2017$ 17,000.00
  • Esther Mahlangu, Ndebele Abstract, 2025
    Ndebele Abstract, 2025$ 15,000.00
  • Esther Mahlangu, Ndebele Abstract, 2025
    Ndebele Abstract, 2025$ 15,000.00
  • Esther Mahlangu, Ndbele Abstract, 2024
    Ndbele Abstract, 2024$ 15,000.00
  • Esther Mahlangu, Ndbele Abstract, 2015
    Ndbele Abstract, 2015$ 14,500.00
  • Esther Mahlangu, Vessel , 2025
    Vessel , 2025$ 9,500.00
  • Esther Mahlangu, Vessel , 2025
    Vessel , 2025$ 9,500.00
  • Esther Mahlangu, Vessel , 2025
    Vessel , 2025$ 9,500.00
  • Esther Mahlangu, Vessel , 2025
    Vessel , 2025
    Sold
  • Esther Mahlangu, Vessel , 2025
    Vessel , 2025$ 9,500.00
  • Esther Mahlangu, Vessel , 2025
    Vessel , 2025$ 7,500.00
  • Esther Mahlangu, Vessel , 2025
    Vessel , 2025$ 7,500.00
  • Esther Mahlangu, Vessel, 2025
    Vessel, 2025$ 7,500.00
Video
Biography
Esther Mahlangu is considered a visionary and a disruptor, being the first person to reimagine traditional Ndebele design in contemporary mediums

Esther Mahlangu is a multi-award winning visual artist, and much loved South African cultural ambassador. She was born in 1935 and has been painting since she was 10 years old.

 

The bold Ndebele inspired artworks for which she is globally acclaimed grace many of the world’s most respected museums, private, public and corporate collections. Many experts believe that any important Pan African Contemporary collection cannot be considered complete without including one of her works.

 

Whilst firmly anchored in her traditional Ndebele culture, and choosing to live in rural Mpumalanga, Dr Mahlangu continues to spend considerable time in many of the world’s largest and most modern cities collaborating with museums, art fairs, curators, celebrities and respected global brands.

 

She is considered a visionary and a disruptor, being the first person to reimagine traditional Ndebele design in contemporary mediums, and she has painted anything from canvas, walls, ceramic pots, sneakers and doors to cars, bicycles, motorbikes and skateboard decks.

 

This has led her to well-known global collaborations with the likes of Rolls-Royce, BMW, Fiat, South African Airways, John Legend, Belvedere Vodka, The Smithsonian Museum, Freshpak Rooibos, and many others.

 

In 2018 Dr Mahlangu was presented with two honorary doctorates, in 2019 she was appointed as Officer of Arts and Letters which is Frances highest decoration for contribution to the arts, the Department of Arts and Culture published a book in her honour and she received an award from the United Nations in Johannesburg.

 

In 2020 she became the first artist in the world to be commissioned to paint an artwork for the ‘gallery’ of a new Rolls-Royce Phantom that they named ‘The Mahlangu’ in her honour.

 

Mahlangu is exclusively represented by The Melrose Gallery.

Exhibitions
Publications
News