Artist Database

Julius Njau is a Tanzanian artist who was born in Marangu, a town in the Moshi district of the Kilimanjaro region. Njau began painting during a two-year hospital stay after breaking his leg in 1972. A Finnish X-ray specialist who treated Njau in hospital played an important role in his art career, as she purchased painting materials for him, organised his first exhibition in Finland in 1983 and bought his early artworks.

Njau started painting in a representational style, exploring his cultural traditions and depicting the wildlife around him. 1984 marked an exciting shift for the artist into an abstract mode of painting.

Notably, between 1983 and 2008, Julius Njau’s solo exhibition, Julius Njau One Man Show, was presented in Finland, Tanzania, Norway, Sweden, Kenya, Spain and Japan. Njau has also exhibited his artwork in Denmark, the Netherlands, the United States, and quite prominently throughout Japan.

Julius Njau's art has been collected by the Museum of Modern Art Toyama in Japan; the Weltkulturen Museum (formerly known as the Museum für Völkerkunde), Frankfurt, and Galerie ZAK (Zeitgenössische Afrikanische Kunst), Fürth, Germany; Amos Anderson Gallery in Helsinki, Finland, and the British Museum in London, England. Julius Njau is a founding member and President of Marafiki - Friendship and Art.