69 - TADESSE MESFIN (ETHIOPIAN B.1953)

TADESSE MESFIN (ETHIOPIAN B.1953) WOMAN IN PINK (FROM THE PILLARS OF LIFE SERIES) signed and dated T Mesfin 2013 lower right; signed and dated on the reverse oil on canvas 128 × 139.5cm unframed Property of a Private Collector, Hertfordshire Provenance Acquired directly from the artist's studio 2013 As a pioneering figure of Ethiopian modernism, Tadesse Mesfin has dedicated decades to shaping contemporary art, mentoring generations of painters at the Alle School of Fine Art and Design in Addis Ababa, where he served as a professor from 1984-2019. Born in Woldia, northern Ethiopia, in 1953, Mesfin's artistic journey began early, scratching white lines onto his hands and feet as a child, before formally training at Addis Ababa's School of Fine Arts under Haile Selassie. Following monumental work in theatrical set design, a prestigious Soviet scholarship took him to the Repin St. Petersburg Academy Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture in 1977, where he immersed himself in epic realist traditions and social narrative. Upon returning to Ethiopia in 1984, Mesfin synthesised these rigorous academic foundations with indigenous Coptic icons, West African sculptural forms, and the vibrant hues of his homeland. His signature focus crystallised around the bustling guleet (markets) of Ethiopia, immortalising women carrying wares with architectural grace. Rather than transient snapshots, these crowded compositions possess a sculptural stillness, balancing a flat overall perspective with deeply expressive, individual faces under the equatorial sun. Free from external movements and at the height of his mature vision, Mesfin’s canvases remain a profound celebration of modern Ethiopian resilience, rhythm, and enduring visual culture. His work has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions in London, Addis Ababa, New York, Stockholm, Lagos, Dubai, and Johannesburg.