£2,000 - £3,500
Ancent Soi 1995, 'Herds boy taking cows home', oil on canvas, signed and dated, gallery sales label with title verso, 96x61cm, framed
Born in 1937 in Yatta, he started selling woodcarvings and paintings at the Nairobi City Market for a politician friend in the early sixties before venturing into art himself under the tutelage of Congolese artist, Banto, who he said in earlier interviews ‘was the best artist in Kenya’ then.
It was around this time that he entered a painting in the ESSO calendar competition judged by Joseph Murumbi where he won the first prize. His work was subsequently included in the calendar and that marked the beginning of his long partnership with Murumbi and the African Heritage.
Having embarked on his journey as a full time artist, Soi had a prolific career where he made paintings of wildlife and landscapes inspired by the vast Yatta plateau. These were heavily punctuated by the two main ethnic communities that strode the area; Kamba & Maasai, whose traditions and village life form the core of his subject. A highly skilled painter, he was a stickler to detail. This is evident in how he painted his animal coats and the copious hours he’s spend painting the elaborate items of clothing and jewellery that adorn his subjects.
Soi’s career continued to flourish at a time when most African countries were gaining independence and with the Munich Olympics (1972) approaching, Africans were allowed to participate in a competition to make the event’s poster. As fate would have it, he won the first prize (1971). This got him worldwide acclaim as Kenya’s (and probably one of Africa’s) most talented artists.
He was offered a lucrative residency in Munich in 1972 but had to cut it short and come back home for the birth of his first son towards the end of that year. That son is artist Michael, currently one of the most recognizable artists in the region.
Through the seventies into the nineties, Soi exhibited in Japan, the USA, Germany and in Kenya
Provenance _ from a private collection located in Totnes. Bought from MAP International Fund Raising Art Dinner 26th May 1995 at the Safari Park Hotel. Sold with a photocopy of the the catalogue
Overall condition is good. Colours are strong and bright. There is one small area of raised paint on the canvas just above one oxen head (see image). Unsure if this is a repairs and over paint or just as it should be. The back is sealed so difficult to tell . Otherwise very good order. The frame is scuffed especially to the top right hand corner
Fees apply to the hammer price:
Room and Absentee Bids:
21.60% inc VAT*
Online and Autobids:
25.2% inc VAT*
