Nkusu dacosta (Felelo) (Bas-Congo, 1914 – 1995, Kinshasa, DRC)

Oil on Isorel 70’s/80’s, signed, 56 x 78 cm. One of the doyens of modern Congolese painting In 1958 he participated in the Brussels Universal Exhibition and in 1966 his works were presented at the first festival of the black arts in Dakar. Nkusu is also deeply religious. This aspect of his personality appears in his many religiously inspired paintings. Living very close to the simple and traditional life, he transposes with great delicacy and taste the scenes of biblical life into an African context. His "Christs" are African. The Holy Family crosses a jungle village on the back of an antelope, the Miraculous Catch takes place on a Zairean River in a canoe He remains deeply attached, in his themes, to the roots of his land and loves the traditional art from which he draws his inspiration In 1978, the AICA/Zaire awarded him the Golden Palette, an insignia that rewards artists who have been active for at least thirty years