Jimmy Kitheka Kenya, b. 1993

Biography

“I try to reimagine myself living in that time through my paintings. Some ideas came from the dreams that I have of me experiencing the same adventures they had back in the days”. 

Jimmy Kitheka was born in 1993 in Kenya, he currently lives in Ngong and works in Nairobi, where his studio is located. 
Jimmy is an impressionistic artist captivated by landscapes and oneiric scenarios; through shadows and blur effects Kitheka evokes a sense of nostalgia. His work allows us to travel back in time to stories told by his grandfather and father. Stories that retrace life in Nairobi in the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. His main medium is oil paints on canvas and chalk pastels when sketching on paper, both portray effects on a painting or a sketch, to look retro or like a memory. He’s also used acrylics and charcoal in some of his artworks.
Jimmy is a young artist with a promising future, strongly building his reputation as the Keyan Edward Hopper. Since 2020, he has been taking part in solo and group shows throughout the African Continent, and in Venice and Dubai with AKKA Project. Recently, two of Jimmy's latest works have been acquired by Fondation Frances, Paris, France, and has been included in their private contemporary art collection. In 2022, Jimmy's work The Life Guard entered the Museums of Kenya Permanent Collection. 
Works
  • Jimmy Kitheka, Waiting for, 2020
    Jimmy Kitheka
    Waiting for, 2020
    Oil on Canvas
    100 x 110 cm
  • Jimmy Kitheka, Blue shadows at palazzo Ricci, 2022
    Jimmy Kitheka
    Blue shadows at palazzo Ricci, 2022
    Oil on Canvas
    50 x 35 cm
  • Jimmy Kitheka, The Wanderers Memory, 2022
    Jimmy Kitheka
    The Wanderers Memory, 2022
    Oil on Canvas
    50 x 35 cm
  • Jimmy Kitheka, Silhouette Ingresso del Palazzo, 2022
    Jimmy Kitheka
    Silhouette Ingresso del Palazzo, 2022
    Oil on Canvas
    60 x 60 cm
  • Jimmy Kitheka, Corridors of the Mind, 2022
    Jimmy Kitheka
    Corridors of the Mind, 2022
    Oil on Canvas
    50 x 50 cm
  • Jimmy Kitheka, The Blue and Glass Safari, 2022
    Jimmy Kitheka
    The Blue and Glass Safari, 2022
    Oil on Canvas
    70 x 100 cm
  • Jimmy Kitheka, The Lost Golden Girl, 2022
    Jimmy Kitheka
    The Lost Golden Girl, 2022
    Oil on Canvas
    70 x 100 cm
  • Jimmy Kitheka, Orange Dusk at Glass Island, 2023
    Jimmy Kitheka
    Orange Dusk at Glass Island, 2023
    Oils on Canvas
    100 x 80 cm
  • Jimmy Kitheka, Silouhettes View from Piazza della Libertà, Macerata, 2023
    Jimmy Kitheka
    Silouhettes View from Piazza della Libertà, Macerata, 2023
    Oils on Canvas
    80 x 70 cm
  • Jimmy Kitheka, Cherubim "A Face on OX" (Without the Winged Beings), 2023
    Jimmy Kitheka
    Cherubim "A Face on OX" (Without the Winged Beings), 2023
    Oils on Canvas
    90 x 70 cm
  • Jimmy Kitheka, Panacota Street Silouhettes, 2023
    Jimmy Kitheka
    Panacota Street Silouhettes, 2023
    Oils on Canvas
    92 x 77 cm
  • Jimmy Kitheka, Ugandan Pavilion, 2023
    Jimmy Kitheka
    Ugandan Pavilion, 2023
    Oils on Canvas
    100 x 80 cm
  • Jimmy Kitheka, Silouhettes View from Piazza della Libertà, 2023
    Jimmy Kitheka
    Silouhettes View from Piazza della Libertà, 2023
    Oils on Canvas
    60 x 40 cm
  • Jimmy Kitheka, Mother's Tears , 2023
    Jimmy Kitheka
    Mother's Tears , 2023
    Oils on Canvas
    100 x 100 cm
  • Jimmy Kitheka, Mkutano ("Gathering") an Antisocial Gathering, 2023
    Jimmy Kitheka
    Mkutano ("Gathering") an Antisocial Gathering, 2023
    Oils on Canvas
    100 x 80 cm
  • Jimmy Kitheka, Mannequin, 2023
    Jimmy Kitheka
    Mannequin, 2023
    Oils on Canvas
    56 x 54 cm
  • Jimmy Kitheka, Untitled, 2023
    Jimmy Kitheka
    Untitled, 2023
    Oils on Canvas
    90 x 105 cm
  • Jimmy Kitheka, Untitled, 2023
    Jimmy Kitheka
    Untitled, 2023
    Oils on Canvas
    25 x 25 cm
  • Jimmy Kitheka, Mitaa Balaa! (Overwhelming Street), 2023
    Jimmy Kitheka
    Mitaa Balaa! (Overwhelming Street), 2023
    Pastel and charcoal on strawboard paper
    100 x 100 cm
  • Jimmy Kitheka, Mbio za Balaa! (Overwhelming Street), 2023
    Jimmy Kitheka
    Mbio za Balaa! (Overwhelming Street), 2023
    Pastel and charcoal on strawboard paper
    107 x 107 cm
  • Jimmy Kitheka, Mawazo ya Mitaani (Street Mentality), 2023
    Jimmy Kitheka
    Mawazo ya Mitaani (Street Mentality), 2023
    Pastel and charcoal on strawboard paper
    94 x 100 cm
  • Jimmy Kitheka, Mawazo ya Mitaani III (Street Mentality 3), 2023
    Jimmy Kitheka
    Mawazo ya Mitaani III (Street Mentality 3), 2023
    Pastel and charcoal on strawboard paper
    97 x 97 cm
  • Jimmy Kitheka, Chetu Chetu Gizani (Ours in the Dark), 2023
    Jimmy Kitheka
    Chetu Chetu Gizani (Ours in the Dark), 2023
    Pastel and charcoal on strawboard paper
    100 x 110 cm
  • Jimmy Kitheka, Daily life, 2021
    Jimmy Kitheka
    Daily life, 2021
    Oils on Canvas
    130x177 cm
  • Jimmy Kitheka, Golden Girls, Nairobi streets edition, Light and Blue Silence Series, 2022
    Jimmy Kitheka
    Golden Girls, Nairobi streets edition, Light and Blue Silence Series, 2022
    Oils on Canvas
    80 x 101 cm
  • Jimmy Kitheka, Young Flamma (Flame), 2022
    Jimmy Kitheka
    Young Flamma (Flame), 2022
    Oil on Canvas
    116,5 x 89,5 cm
  • Jimmy Kitheka, ‘’Helena’’ Sister Sunday, 2021
    Jimmy Kitheka
    ‘’Helena’’ Sister Sunday, 2021
    Oil on Canvas
    70 x 105 cm
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