This wonderful painting was executed in 2024 by Makabi, an important artist in Kinshasa. Although he is not widely exhibited, his work is respected by collectors and sellers in the Congolese capital. The scene he describes in this picture is uniquely Congolese: two women fixing a third woman’s hair while they, it seems, share gossip. This is a painting in which everything approaches perfection: the colors are vibrant, the storytelling is honest, and the scale is monumental enough. The collector loved this painting when he first saw it in Kinshasa, but in order to affordably acquire it he had to pretend he did not like it much. For the avoidance of doubt, “L’unité Maternelle” is among the masterpieces of the Roduza Collection.
