Contemporary Art in Kenya

Contemporary African art is gaining more and more worldwide reputation, especially the very creative Kenyan community, which draws in artisans & artists from all sorts of backgrounds.

The contemporary art in Kenya can be many things from tribal portrait, sculptors working with metal to clay, basketry, amazing photographers, batik work, carvings, incredible jewelery, textile designers, wildlife artist, and very abstract artists.

At the African Heritage you can find traditional artifacts from all around Kenya, with some of them for sale.

Contemporary East African Art and some of Joy Adamson’s best paintings can be found at the National Museum in Nairobi, as well as samples of modern art.

The showroom is principally for Kenyan, Tanzanian and Ugandan artists to display their work and wares. Everything is for sale and the gallery, although non-profit-making, takes a commission from what is sold and puts it back into running the place, and into acquiring for the museum’s own, long-planned Modern Art Gallery.

Few people know Joy Adamson, who became famous for her memoir on hand-rearing a lioness named Elsa, was also an accomplished, self-taught artist. She produced many paintings that document much of Kenya’s flora and was commissioned by the government to paint over 600 portraits of Kenya’s tribes in their traditional dress. These hang now in Nairobi’s State House and the National Museum and remain an important testament to Kenya’s rich cultural history.

Art Galleries:

Ethnography Gallery (Joy Adamson Art) & Contemporary East African Art Gallery
National Museum of Kenya (NMK)
Museum Hill, off Uhuru Highway
Nairobi
www.museums.or.ke


Rahimtulla Museum of Modern Art (RAMOMA)
Rahimtulla Tower
Upper Hill Road
Nairobi

The Ramoma gallery is a charitable trust that hosts mainly sculptures and paintings from international and local artists. They are shipping worldwide.


Paa ya Paa Art Center
Ridgeway Road, off Kiambu Road
Nairobi

If you are interested is seeing art from the next generations of artists, this is the place to go and check out. It's a nice, down to earth place and a little less commercial than others.


Matbronze
2 Kifaru Lane, off Langata South Road
Nairobi

If you like bronze sculptures and wildlife, this is the place to check out. You might have to dig deep into your pocket, but the pieces are originals and most are limited editions.

Return from Contemporary Art in Kenya back to the Shopping in Kenya page

Return from Contemporary Art in Kenya back to Kenya Travel Ideas home page