When Edward Said Tingatinga began painting in 1968, he sold his works for a few shillings on the streets of Dar es Salaam. Today, original Tingatinga paintings hang in museums and private collections worldwide, and the movement he founded has grown into one of Africa’s most recognised art schools.
The Cultural Heritage Gallery holds one of East Africa’s finest collections of first and second-generation Tingatinga works. These pieces document the evolution of a revolutionary style — from the simple, charming animal portraits of the 1960s to the elaborate, multi-layered compositions of contemporary practitioners.