Geoffrey Mukasa is well known for his wonderful descriptions of human intercourse with the natural environment. But he was even more spectacular when he painted fish or roosters or even, as in this painting, a trio of pigeons. “We are the pigeons and the pigeons are us,” Mukasa seemed to be saying in this work. The most acclaimed Ugandan painter of the 20th century was versatile, comfortable as a draughtsman and collagist but also working well with oil and acrylic paints. This piece is one of three unique Mukasas in the Roduza Collection, all of them acquired from Kampala’s AKA Gallery, where the collector irritated — and also impressed — gallerist Mrs. Mukasa with his desire as well as bargaining skills.
