Theresa Musoke Ugandan, b. 1944

  • Lives and works in Kampala
    Theresa Musoke is a formally experimental semi-abstract painter who has been celebrated for her expressive portrayals of wildlife. Using a... Theresa Musoke is a formally experimental semi-abstract painter who has been celebrated for her expressive portrayals of wildlife. Using a...

    Theresa Musoke is a formally experimental semi-abstract painter who has been celebrated for her expressive portrayals of wildlife. Using a range of mediums and techniques to develop her imagery, Musoke allows the suggestive nature of dyed canvas to guide her painting into evocative forms of animals and landscapes. Over her career she has developed a distinctive visual language blending astute, sensitive draughtsmanship with painterly experimentation. 

     

    Musoke was the first female artist to obtain a degree from the Margaret Trowell School of Fine Arts at Makerere University in 1963. She went on to win the painting prize in 1965 and obtained a scholarship to study for a postgraduate diploma in Printmaking at the Royal College of Art in London in 1965. She later won a scholarship from the Rockefeller Foundation to continue her studies at the University of Pennsylvania. On her return to Kampala, Musoke taught at Makerere University before relocating to Nairobi in 1976. 

     

    Musoke has been a highly influential figure in Kenyan and Ugandan art, not only for her celebrated visual practice but also as a distinguished educator. She lived in Kenya for over twenty years, teaching at the University of Nairobi and Kenyatta University. Throughout this time, Musoke exhibited frequently in local galleries such as Paa Ya Paa, Gallery Watatu and the African Heritage House. Her selected solo and group exhibitions include a solo show at the Uganda Museum, 1965; Sanaa: Contemporary Art from East Africa, Commonwealth Institute, London, 1984; Pioneer Women of the Arts, Nairobi Gallery, 2018; A Retrospective of Three Artists: Theresa Musoke, Tabatha wa Thuku, Yony Waite, Circle Art Gallery, 2022. Her work featured in the travelling group show Mwili akili Na Roho, at the Royal Academy, London and Haus Der Kunst, Munich. 

  • Works
    • Theresa Musoke, Untitled (Antelopes in green and brown), Undated
      Untitled (Antelopes in green and brown), Undated
    • Theresa Musoke, Migrating Wildebeest, 2021
      Migrating Wildebeest, 2021
    • Theresa Musoke, Gerenuk I (Blue), 2021
      Gerenuk I (Blue), 2021
    • Theresa Musoke, Gerenuk II (Umber), 2021
      Gerenuk II (Umber), 2021
    • Theresa Musoke, Gerenuk III (Yellow), 2021
      Gerenuk III (Yellow), 2021
    • Theresa Musoke, Wild Dogs III (Brown), 2021
      Wild Dogs III (Brown), 2021
    • Theresa Musoke, Untitled, (blue and red), 2021
      Untitled, (blue and red), 2021
    • Theresa Musoke, Ostriches II (Yellow), 2012
      Ostriches II (Yellow), 2012
    • Theresa Musoke, Untitled XI (Wildebeest), 2010
      Untitled XI (Wildebeest), 2010
    • Theresa Musoke, Wild Dogs on a Hill, 2005
      Wild Dogs on a Hill, 2005
    • Theresa Musoke, Wildebeest (yellow background), 2003
      Wildebeest (yellow background), 2003
    • Theresa Musoke, Untitled IV (Cave Painting in Brown), 2001
      Untitled IV (Cave Painting in Brown), 2001
    • Theresa Musoke, Giraffe Group, 2000
      Giraffe Group, 2000
    • Theresa Musoke, Untitled II (Antelope in dark red)), 1999-2001
      Untitled II (Antelope in dark red)), 1999-2001
    • Theresa Musoke, Untitled(Pelicans), 1999
      Untitled(Pelicans), 1999
    • Theresa Musoke, Untitled (Antelope 8), 1999
      Untitled (Antelope 8), 1999
    • Theresa Musoke, Untitled (Wild Dog III), 1996-7
      Untitled (Wild Dog III), 1996-7
    • Theresa Musoke, Untitled (51) - , 1996
      Untitled (51) - , 1996
    • Theresa Musoke, Single Stork, 1995
      Single Stork, 1995
    • Theresa Musoke, Wildebeest (in blue and black), 1992
      Wildebeest (in blue and black), 1992
    • Theresa Musoke, Wildebeest in green and yellow, 1990s
      Wildebeest in green and yellow, 1990s
    • Theresa Musoke, Untitled lV (Ostriches in brown), 1990s
      Untitled lV (Ostriches in brown), 1990s
    • Theresa Musoke, Untitled (Giraffe), 1990
      Untitled (Giraffe), 1990
    • Theresa Musoke, Untitled I (Antelopes in brown and yellow), 1985-87
      Untitled I (Antelopes in brown and yellow), 1985-87
    • Theresa Musoke, Untitled (Generuk), 1980s
      Untitled (Generuk), 1980s
    • Theresa Musoke, Untitled (Ostriches), 1980s
      Untitled (Ostriches), 1980s
    • Theresa Musoke, Giraffe in browns, 1980s
      Giraffe in browns, 1980s
    • Theresa Musoke, Cheetah, 1975 (reworked later)
      Cheetah, 1975 (reworked later)
    • Theresa Musoke, Untitled (Running Antelopes), 1975
      Untitled (Running Antelopes), 1975
    • Theresa Musoke, Untitled (Impala), 1970s
      Untitled (Impala), 1970s
    • Theresa Musoke, Small Red Antelopes, 1970s
      Small Red Antelopes, 1970s
    • Theresa Musoke, Untitled (Gazelle xx), 1970
      Untitled (Gazelle xx), 1970
    • Theresa Musoke, Dancing figure with Pot, 1963-65
      Dancing figure with Pot, 1963-65
    • Theresa Musoke, Sunrise, 1963-65
      Sunrise, 1963-65
    • Theresa Musoke, Family Group, 1960s
      Family Group, 1960s
    • Theresa Musoke, Wild Dogs I (Yellow), c. 1990s
      Wild Dogs I (Yellow), c. 1990s
    • Theresa Musoke, Untitled (Antelopes in blue and brown), Undated
      Untitled (Antelopes in blue and brown), Undated
    • Theresa Musoke, Self Portrait I, 1998
      Self Portrait I, 1998
    • Theresa Musoke, Rainbow Wild Dogs, 1998
      Rainbow Wild Dogs, 1998
  • Exhibitions
  • Art fairs