Esther Mahlangu Becomes First South African Commissioned by Rolls Royce for Artwork

Esther Mahlangu, one of the country’s best known creative artists, has become the first South African to be commissioned by Rolls Royce to create a painting for the ‘Gallery’, inside a new Phantom.

‘Gallery’ is the name Rolls Royce gives to its dashboard vista, stretching the full width of the car. It is made of glass and used to stage and display unique art works or pieces.

This is the section Mahlangu was commissioned to work on, with the car aptly named ‘Mahlangu’ Rolls-Royce Phantom. The car will be on display at the Melrose Gallery in Cape Town from February 13 to 16th.

This is a collaborative effort between Dr. Mahlangu and the gallery on adoption and appreciation of African (Ndebele) artwork. Other than the car, the Melrose gallery will also host an exhibition of a selection of Dr Mahlangu’s paintings. This one will run a bit further, from February 13 to March 31, 2020.

“Known as a ‘disruptor’ from an early age, Mam Esther as she is affectionately known, was the first person to reimagine traditional Ndebele house painting onto contemporary platforms,” the Gallery stated in a statement.

This is not the first time the 84 year old has worked with a car company. In 2016, she collaborated with BMW to create artwork for its 7 series. Her relationship with BMW actually stretches back all the way to 1991, when she became the first woman to create artwork on a BMW 525i.

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