Fred Mutebi
Disappearing Act
About the SessionNAIROBI – Following their successful collaboration in 2025, Strauss & Co, Africa’s leading auction house, and Danda Jaroljmek, Director of Art Auction East Africa, will present Art Auction East Africa | Strauss & Co, a 67-lot sale bringing together modern and contemporary art from East Africa and the wider continent. The live-virtual sale will be held at Circle Art Gallery in Nairobi on Wednesday, 28 October, 2026, 7pm EAT. The catalogue spans a diversity of East African countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda, alongside works by artists from Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique and Nigeria. Works on paper, photography and sculpture complements the strong painting consignment. “The selection invites collectors to discover East Africa’s diverse modernist histories, particularly those beyond the Anglophone world,” says Susie Goodman. “In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in East African modernists, with artists associated with the Khartoum School shown in museums and fairs globally. Our work as an auction house rooted in Africa is ensuring this rediscovery is not temporary. We are delighted to partner with Danda Jaroljmek in cultivating a sustainable secondary market for East African modernists active during the era of decolonisation and independence.” A preview exhibition will be held at Circle Art Gallery, Victoria Square, Riara Road, Nairobi, during the two weeks preceding the auction on Wednesday, 28 October 2026.
LOT 57
Fred Mutebi
Disappearing Act
About this Item
signed and dated; inscribed with the artist's name and the title on the reverse
Provenance
Private Collection.
Notes
Fred Mutebi began printmaking while studying at Makerere University’s Margaret Trowell School of Industrial and Fine Art between 1990 – 1993. In 2003 Mutebi was awarded the Fulbright Scholarship for a residency in Memphis, USA, which he used to master the multi-colour progressive reduction method of woodcut printmaking. He is celebrated as a master of this medium today which has earned him global acclaim and recognition.
Thematically, Mutebi’s artwork explores the nuances and complexities of Ugandan life, intricately weaving elements of indigenous folklore with the vibrant tapestry of daily existence to illuminate the profound interconnectedness of the human experience.
A passionate social activist and environmentalist, Mutebi was especially committed to advocating for community youth engagement and artistic mentorship. He founded ‘Let Art Talk’, an organisation that uses art as an educational vehicle to teach crucial life skills and open up essential dialogues by empowering youth to interpret the challenges facing them through art, and to which he contributed a percentage of the proceeds of all sales of his artwork.
Fred Mutebi’s artwork has been exhibited in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Austria, South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, Japan and the United States.
Biography courtesy of Circle Art Gallery.
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