This bust depicts a pretty African woman, but it’s not clear if Katumba made it according to the true likeness of someone known to him. The figure looks gracefully ahead, and there’s a faint but clearly discernible smile on her face. The obvious risk with busts is that sometimes they can seem off-putting, requiring to be hidden from most eyes. Not so with this one, an exquisite piece that could be proudly displayed anywhere. Katumba is among a generation of important Ugandan artists whose fame is not yet equal to their talent, and he continues to labor in relative obscurity. In 1993, when Pope John Paul II came to Uganda, he was gifted a wooden sculpture designed by Nuwa Wamala Nnyanzi and executed by Katumba.
