painting of a flock of birds flying over a body of water next to a flock of fish
Premium Lemon Auction

178 - ◊ Pilipili MULONGOY (1914–2007), known as PILI PILI Herons i…
See original version (French)

Estimate €1,000 - €3,000
Sale commission
Description
◊ Pilipili MULONGOY (1914–2007), known as PILI PILI Herons in Flight Oil on canvas, signed lower right. 138 x 197.5 cm. (Minor imperfections) Note: PILI PILI, whose real name was Philippe Mulongoyi Nkulu Mitenga, was an artist born in 1914 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 1947, he joined the ‘Le Hangar’ studio in Élisabethville (Lubumbashi), an academy of indigenous folk art founded by the French painter Pierre Romain-Desfossés. A few years later, he became a teacher at the Academy of Fine Arts in the same city. His unique, poetic and dreamlike works blend the wild, animal world with the imagination of African folktales. Each scene is brought to life by a delicately coloured and refined touch. He was very quickly recognised as a leading figure in Congolese painting. He has exhibited in Africa, Europe and the United States, attracting numerous collectors. His works are also featured in prestigious public collections, including the Africa Museum in Tervuren, Belgium; the Rockefeller Collection in the United States; the Iziko Museum in South Africa; and the National Museum of Lubumbashi in the DRC… A major posthumous retrospective exhibition was dedicated to him at the Hôtel Memling in Kinshasa in 2008. His work was also featured in the international exhibition “Beauté Congo, 1926–2015” at the Fondation Cartier in Paris.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale Jewellery & Design, Contemporary African Art, Books, Paintings and 18th–19th-century furniture
Auction location
Auction time 07/07/2026 at 1:30 PM
Ref. : V8598 - 97
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like