Great Afrikans

Name/Title

Great Afrikans

Entry/Object ID

MG.018

Description

International Solidarity

Collection

Jos Sances

Made/Created

Artist

Manu Chinamora

Date made

1985

Dimensions

Height

25-1/4 in

Width

21-1/4 in

Depth

1-1/2 in

Dimension Notes

Paper: 23x17.5. Image: 20.5x17

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Cultural/Historical Context

Label

Though Chinamora came to the U.S. from the Congo to study engineering, he was trained in calligraphy; the Mission Cultural Center’s open-door policy gave Chinamora the opportunity to simply walk in and make art. The calligraphy and layers in this poster were all drawn meticulously by hand. Chinamora’s discipline as an artist contrasted with his carefree approach to life. At one point, he asked to borrow fellow artist Jos Sances’ car to drive to Palo Alto; Sances later learned that Chinamora had never before driven a car. How he made it there and back remains a mystery.