Sam Nhlengethwa was born in the mining community of Payneville, Springs, south-east of Johannesburg. After studying at the Rorke’s Drift Art Centre in the late 1970s, he attended the Johannesburg Art Foundation, which was established by Bill Ainslie. Nhlengethwa taught part-time at Federated Union of Black Artists (FUBA) in Johannesburg and came to national prominence in 1993 with the exhibition Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow at both the Market Gallery in Johannesburg and the KZNSA Gallery in Durban. Nhlengethwa received the Standard Bank Young Artist Award in 1994 and his award show, Homage to Jazz, travelled the country over the following year.

The artist is best known for his figurative paintings ...