KAMANTE GATURA: SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST
April 4, 2010–January 23, 2011
African artist Kamante Gatura (c. 1912-1985) portrayed the action-packed lives of animals on the Nairobi plains of Kenya. The world he witnessed was one of eat-or-be-eaten survivalism--not just for the wild animals but also for the humans who lived in this rugged environment. Gatura was a cook and travel companion of Baroness Karen Blixen, better known by her pen name, Isak Dinesen. Dinesen's memoir, Out of Africa, describes the life they shared, from days on her coffee farm to safari adventures. On safari, Gatura rendered the scenes he witnessed on paper: hyenas, pythons, giraffes, elephants, hares, buzzards, and lions are among the cast of characters that populate Gatura's animated array.