Henry Tayali Biography

Henry Tayali was a Zambian fine artist and sculptor. He was one of the foremost artists from Zambia to have achieved major recognition in the international art scene. Born in a town near the site of the Nsalu 12,000-year-old rock and cave paintings, he grew up in a culturally rich environment and was exposed to native literature and folklores, as well as the writings of Western authors like Alexandre Dumas, James Fenimore Cooper, Robert Louis Stevenson and Mark Twain. He developed a love for fine arts and literature early on due to the environment he grew up in. He started painting as a school student and held his first exhibition when he was just 15. Alex Lambeth, who ran the African Affairs Department of Bulawayo City Council, recognized the boy’s potential and encouraged him to pursue a career in the arts. Henry also developed a strong social and political conscience as a teenager and matured into a well-read, hard working and talented young man. He earned a German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) scholarship and did his Masters in Fine Arts from the Staatliche Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, West Germany. After completing his education he held exhibitions all over Zambia and in other parts of the world. He was a brilliant artist, and also a keen photographer and lecturer