New York doesn't do ordinary.
Walk through Chelsea galleries, browse SoHo boutiques, or scroll through Architectural Digest features of Manhattan penthouses—what you'll notice is that New Yorkers have zero tolerance for predictable. The same "Live Laugh Love" typography everyone else hangs. The same West Elm prints in every third apartment. The same mass-produced "abstract" canvases from HomeGoods.
If you're going to claim precious wall space in a New York apartment, it needs to earn that real estate.
Hand-painted Tingatinga paintings from Tanzania are earning that space in apartments from the Upper West Side to Williamsburg, Tribeca lofts to Astoria walk-ups. These aren't decorative placeholders. They're one-of-one originals, signed by the artists who created them in Dar es Salaam—using techniques passed down since 1968. Six to eight layers of glossy enamel paint create colors so saturated they catch light like stained glass. Elephants that actually have personality. Leopards with presence. Birds with pattern work that demands a second look.
Here's why these bold African wildlife paintings are showing up in New York's most intentionally designed spaces—and how to choose the right piece for yours.
New York's interior design landscape in 2025 is rejecting the bland. Jewel tones like emerald green, sapphire blue, and ruby red are being paired with metallic accents to create dramatic and luxurious atmospheres, moving away from the gray-everything aesthetic that dominated the past decade.
The shift is clear: personalization over Pinterest templates. Custom millwork, tailored furnishings, and curated art collections give residences a unique identity. Design-forward New Yorkers are done with spaces that look like showrooms. They want homes that tell their stories.
Design professionals point to a crucial trend: art collectors and design enthusiasts are instead investing in original paintings, prints, and photography that express individuality without spelling it out literally. The formulaic gallery walls with dozens of small, mass-produced prints? Designers are calling them out as dated and cluttered.
What's replacing them? Single statement pieces with genuine provenance. Art you can actually talk about when guests ask, "Where did you get that?"
New York has always been globally connected. The city's museums showcase African art—the Met's extensive African art wing, the Brooklyn Museum's collections, the Museum of African Art. New York collectors understand that African contemporary art represents one of the most vibrant movements in global art today.
Tingatinga paintings bridge folk art tradition with contemporary visual impact. They're not academic. They're not precious. They're bold, joyful, and immediately engaging—exactly what works in New York spaces where art needs to compete with city views, exposed brick, and architectural drama.
In 1968, Edward Saidi Tingatinga started painting animals on recycled boards in Dar es Salaam's Oyster Bay neighborhood using bicycle enamel paint. He wasn't trying to recreate National Geographic photography or create ethnographic documentation. He was painting pure joy—bright yellow elephants against electric blue skies, giraffes with patterns that defy biology but capture spirit, leopards that prowl with confidence.
When Edward died young in 1972, other artists formed the Tingatinga Arts Cooperative Society to preserve and continue the tradition. Today, over 60 painters work from that same Dar es Salaam neighborhood, creating pieces that are immediately recognizable as Tingatinga yet distinctly individual.
Artists apply six to eight layers of enamel paint, letting each layer dry completely before adding the next. This creates depth that single-layer acrylics or inkjet prints can't touch. When light hits the surface—whether morning sun through an east-facing window or evening light from a west-facing view—you see dimension. Actual texture. The physical evidence of time and skill.
Run your fingers over a Tingatinga painting and you feel the layers, the brushstrokes, the places where the artist went back and added detail. It's a physical record of creation. That's what separates originals from the prints everyone else has.
These artists have seen real elephants in Tanzania's national parks. They choose this stylized approach because it captures personality over anatomy. That giraffe isn't just anatomically correct—it's curious, playful, alive. The style is called "naïve" but don't mistake that for unsophisticated. It's a deliberate aesthetic choice that prioritizes emotional truth over photographic accuracy.
This matters in New York apartments where design-savvy residents appreciate art that doesn't take itself too seriously while still commanding attention.
New York apartments present unique challenges. Limited square footage. Awkward layouts. Ceilings that vary wildly—8 feet in prewar walk-ups, 11 feet in new construction, 14+ feet in lofts. Competing visual elements like exposed brick, industrial windows, or dramatic city views.
Tingatinga paintings handle these challenges better than safe, neutral art.
In a city like New York, the key is thoughtful design that works hard in silence without overly expressing things. A 40x48" Tingatinga painting above your sofa becomes the room's focal point without requiring supporting cast members. In a 600-square-foot Astoria one-bedroom, one strong piece creates more impact than six small prints trying to fill space.
A Gramercy Park studio owner installed a 36x40" peacock painting as her apartment's only art. Against white walls with minimal furniture, the painting does all the heavy lifting. Guests consistently ask about it before they've even sat down.
Brooklyn lofts, Tribeca warehouses, SoHo conversions—these spaces feature exposed brick, concrete floors, metal beams, and floor-to-ceiling windows. They need art that doesn't get intimidated by the architecture.
A Williamsburg loft owner hung a 60x48" leopard painting against exposed brick. The glossy enamel surface contrasts beautifully with the brick's matte texture. The bold composition holds its own against 13-foot ceilings and oversized industrial windows. The painting doesn't compete with the architecture—it complements it by adding the organic warmth the space needed.
New York apartments face every direction, often with limited control over natural light. North-facing studios stay cool and dim. South-facing apartments get blasted with sun all day. East-facing bedrooms have intense morning light. West-facing living rooms deal with harsh afternoon glare.
Enamel paint was developed for outdoor industrial applications. It doesn't fade in direct sunlight the way watercolors or inkjet prints do. A Hell's Kitchen resident has a 48x48" tropical bird painting in a west-facing window that receives brutal afternoon sun. After two years, the colors remain as saturated as delivery day.
The glossy surface also catches and reflects light beautifully. In a dim north-facing apartment, that can actually be an advantage—the painting glows rather than disappearing into shadow.
NYC apartments require design strategies that do more with less. Every piece needs to justify its presence. A too-small painting looks like an afterthought. A properly scaled painting transforms a wall.
For standard 8-9 foot ceilings (prewar buildings, walk-ups): 36x40" to 48x48" for main walls, 24x30" to 30x36" for secondary spaces
For 10-11 foot ceilings (new construction, renovated buildings): 48x60" for primary walls, 36x48" for bedrooms
For 12+ foot ceilings (lofts, penthouses, converted industrial): 60x72" or larger—don't be timid
A West Village brownstone apartment with 11-foot ceilings features a 60x48" baobab tree painting above the mantel. The previous owner had hung a 36x24" print in the same space. The difference is dramatic—the properly scaled painting anchors the room rather than disappearing into it.
Prewar apartments feature crown molding, hardwood floors, and traditional proportions. These spaces appreciate art that bridges classic architecture and contemporary energy.
Strategy: Choose paintings with warm earth tones that complement wood tones and traditional finishes, but with bold compositions that feel contemporary. A 48x60" elephant or baobab tree painting works beautifully in these spaces—the subject matter feels timeless, but the saturated colors and folk art style keep it from feeling stuffy.
An Upper West Side prewar living room features original crown molding and herringbone floors. The homeowner selected a 48x60" elephant painting with deep reds, ochres, and blacks. The colors pick up the wood tones while the bold composition prevents the room from feeling too traditional.
Soho, Tribeca, Chelsea—these lofts feature minimal walls, high ceilings, and industrial architecture. They need art that can hold attention across large, open volumes.
Strategy: Go large. 60x72" or bigger. Position the painting where it's visible from multiple areas of the loft. Choose high-contrast compositions that read clearly from a distance.
A Tribeca loft with 14-foot ceilings and 1,800 square feet of open space features an 72x60" abstract Tingatinga composition in reds, blacks, and yellows against an exposed brick wall. The painting is visible from the kitchen, living area, and dining space—creating a unifying focal point across the open layout.
Studios and small one-bedrooms can't afford visual clutter. Every element needs to work.
Strategy: One statement piece, properly scaled. For a studio under 500 square feet, a 36x40" to 40x48" painting above the bed or sofa creates impact without overwhelming. Choose paintings with colors that can guide your entire color scheme.
An East Village 400-square-foot studio features a 36x40" tropical fish painting above the bed as the apartment's only art. The homeowner pulled the turquoise and coral from the painting for throw pillows, a rug, and ceramics. One painting established the entire apartment's design direction.
Parlor floors feature high ceilings, large windows, and architectural details. These gracious spaces can handle substantial art.
Strategy: Match the architecture's scale. A 60x60" or 60x72" painting works in rooms with 12-foot ceilings and generous proportions. Choose subjects with presence—elephants, leopards, large baobab compositions.
A Park Slope brownstone parlor floor features original 12-foot ceilings and a white marble mantel. The homeowners selected a 60x60" elephant family painting for above the mantel. The scale works with the room's proportions, and the warm earth tones complement the wood floors and trim.
New York bedrooms often have challenging layouts—windows on multiple walls, closet doors, radiators, limited open wall space.
Strategy: Prioritize the wall above the bed. This is often the only substantial wall space available. A 40x48" to 48x60" painting (depending on bed size and ceiling height) creates a focal point in an otherwise furniture-dominated room.
A Chelsea one-bedroom has windows on two walls and a closet on the third. The only substantial wall space is above the queen bed. The homeowner installed a 40x48" bird painting with soft blues and greens. It provides the visual interest the room needed without competing with the limited space.
Many New Yorkers work from home in converted dining alcoves, closed-off corners, or spare bedrooms. These spaces need personality that reads well on video calls.
Strategy: Position art behind your desk where it's visible during video calls. Choose paintings with professional subjects (leopards for confidence, birds for creativity, abstract patterns for modern appeal) in sizes that don't overwhelm small spaces—typically 30x36" to 40x48".
A Murray Hill apartment's converted dining alcove serves as a home office. The resident positioned a 36x40" leopard painting on the wall behind the desk. During video calls, colleagues consistently comment on it. It signals personality without being distracting.
New York apartments often have fixed elements you can't change—wood floors in prewar buildings, exposed brick in lofts, white walls in rentals. Your art needs to work with what you have.
Brick provides warm, textured backgrounds. Choose paintings that complement rather than compete.
Strategy: Look for paintings with warm earth tones (ochres, siennas, deep reds) that echo brick tones, combined with one or two brighter accent colors that pop against the brick. A baobab tree painting or elephant composition in warm palettes works beautifully.
A Nolita loft with extensive exposed brick features a 48x60" baobab painting with sunset colors—oranges, reds, golden yellows, and deep purples. The warm tones harmonize with the brick while the composition provides the focal point the textured wall needed.
Most New York rentals have white walls. This gives you maximum flexibility but requires art that can stand alone without supporting colors.
Strategy: Go bold. Choose paintings with high color saturation and strong contrasts. The white walls won't compete—let the painting be the room's color source.
An Upper East Side rental with white walls throughout features a 48x48" peacock painting with electric blues, emerald greens, and rich purples. The bold colors transform the generic white-walled apartment into an intentionally designed space. The homeowner then pulled colors from the painting for textiles and accessories.
Prewar buildings often feature dark hardwood floors—walnut, mahogany, or darkly stained oak. These create warm, traditional foundations.
Strategy: Choose paintings that either complement the warm wood tones (ochres, deep reds, golden yellows) or provide cool contrast (blues, greens, purples). Both approaches work—it depends on whether you want harmony or contrast.
A Greenwich Village one-bedroom with dark walnut floors features two different approaches. The living room has a 48x60" elephant painting in warm earth tones that harmonizes with the floors. The bedroom has a 40x48" tropical fish painting in cool blues and turquoises that provides refreshing contrast.
New construction often features gray walls, gray floors, stainless appliances—lots of cool, neutral tones.
Strategy: Inject warmth. Choose paintings with warm color dominance—reds, oranges, yellows, golden browns. The cool apartment finishes need the balance.
A Battery Park City new construction apartment with gray walls and gray engineered floors features a 48x60" baobab tree painting with warm sunset colors. The painting adds the organic warmth the gray-dominated space needed without requiring a complete redesign.
Tanzanian artists paint specific animals for cultural reasons. These meanings resonate universally.
Elephants represent family bonds and collective wisdom in Tanzanian culture. The matriarch leads the herd, remembers resources across generations, protects the vulnerable.
Best for: Family homes, living rooms where you gather, spaces that feel like the heart of your apartment. An Upper West Side family with two kids chose an elephant painting for their living room specifically because "elephants are about family—that's what this room is for."
Visual impact: Elephant paintings tend to be large-scale and commanding. They need proper space—don't crowd them with competing elements.
These solitary hunters represent self-sufficiency and strategic thinking. In Tanzanian art, leopards symbolize those who chart their own paths.
Best for: Home offices, primary bedrooms, personal spaces where you want empowering energy. A Midtown attorney has a 40x48" leopard painting in her home office positioned behind her desk, visible during video calls. "Clients remember it," she notes. "It signals confidence."
Visual impact: Leopard paintings often use dramatic color contrasts—spotted patterns against bold backgrounds create visual punch that reads clearly across rooms.
Giraffes' height gives them perspective—they see what's coming before others. Their gentle nature despite their size represents quiet confidence.
Best for: Creative spaces, reading corners, bedrooms, children's rooms. A Cobble Hill family chose a giraffe painting for their daughter's room because "giraffes represent seeing things from different perspectives—that's what we want for her."
Visual impact: Giraffes work beautifully in vertical compositions, making them ideal for tall, narrow wall spaces—perfect for awkward New York apartment walls between windows or doors.
Different birds carry specific meanings:
Best for: Entryways (peacocks announce confidence), kitchens and breakfast nooks (tropical birds bring joy), home offices (eagles suggest vision and leadership).
Visual impact: Bird paintings often feature intricate pattern work and bright colors—they're natural conversation starters. A West Village entryway features a 36x36" peacock painting that every guest comments on before they've even entered the apartment.
These iconic African trees live for thousands of years, storing water in massive trunks to survive harsh conditions. In African cultures, they're gathering places where wisdom is shared across generations.
Best for: Spaces where you're establishing permanence—rooms in apartments you own rather than rent, living rooms in forever homes. A Gramercy Park co-op owner chose a baobab painting specifically because "this is the apartment where I'm putting down roots—the painting reflects that."
Visual impact: Baobab paintings often feature warm, glowing colors—sunrise and sunset backgrounds in ochres, oranges, and deep reds. They create peaceful, grounded energy. Browse our landscape collection for baobab tree paintings.
Step 1: Measure your wall space in inches (width Ă— height)
Step 2: Multiply both dimensions by 0.60 (more conservative than Texas/Florida because New York spaces tend to be tighter and have more competing visual elements)
Example: Your wall space is 80" wide Ă— 72" tall (common above sofas in prewar living rooms)
A 48x40" painting would be ideal. A 36x30" would look undersized.
This formula accounts for New York's denser visual environments—you typically have more furniture, architectural details, and competing elements than in sprawling suburban homes.
In lofts with minimal walls: If you have one large wall in an otherwise open space, go 20-30% bigger than the formula suggests. That wall needs to anchor the entire space.
Above mantels with high ceilings: Mantels create natural frames. If you have 11+ foot ceilings, the painting needs to fill the vertical space above the mantel without looking lost.
In rooms with dramatic architecture: Exposed brick walls, floor-to-ceiling windows, high ceilings—these dramatic elements need art that can hold its own. Don't be timid.
A Soho loft with 15-foot ceilings and exposed brick features an 80x60" custom elephant painting. The formula would have suggested 60x48", but the space's drama required more presence. The larger size works because there's minimal competing visual clutter.
In bedrooms with windows on multiple walls: Limited wall space means you might need to go smaller to fit the available area. Better to have a properly proportioned smaller piece than to force a large painting into inadequate space.
In hallways: Narrow spaces look best with vertical orientations in moderate sizes—24x40" to 30x48" works well in typical New York hallways.
In bathrooms: If you're hanging art in a bathroom (powder rooms work well), keep it modest—24x24" to 30x30" maximum.
New York has always valued authenticity. The city can spot knockoffs, fakes, and mass-produced mediocrity instantly.
Every Tingatinga painting is an original—created specifically for that canvas, signed by the artist who made it. You're not buying a reproduction. You're acquiring the actual painting that came off the artist's easel in Dar es Salaam.
When you run your fingers over the surface, you feel the layers, the brushstrokes, the physical evidence of human creation. That's what separates art from décor.
The Tingatinga Arts Cooperative Society maintains quality standards that protect both artists and buyers. Works sold through the cooperative undergo review, ensuring you're acquiring authentic pieces created using traditional techniques passed down since 1968.
This provenance matters in New York, where art appreciation runs deep and collectors value documented authenticity.
Design-forward New Yorkers want art they can talk about. A Tingatinga painting delivers that story: "This was hand-painted by [artist name] in Dar es Salaam using a style that's been passed down since 1968. I bought it directly from the artists' cooperative."
A Chelsea gallery director who owns three Tingatinga paintings notes: "Guests always ask about them. They're visually striking enough to demand attention, and the story behind them—the cooperative model, the techniques, the artists' names—adds depth that mass-market art can't provide."
Enamel paint is remarkably durable. A Brooklyn homeowner purchased her first Tingatinga painting in 2011. Fourteen years later, it hangs in bright eastern light with no visible color degradation. The glossy enamel surface has protected the pigments from UV exposure that would have faded watercolors or prints.
This durability matters in a city where you might move apartments multiple times but want art that travels with you through different spaces and stages of life.
Paintings ship rolled in protective tubes via DHL and Aramex—trusted international carriers with full tracking. We offer free shipping and maintain a 100% delivery success rate. From Dar es Salaam to your New York address typically takes 7-10 business days, with tracking updates throughout.
A Midtown resident who has purchased four paintings notes: "Every delivery arrived perfectly—no damage, no delays. The tracking is detailed, so I always knew exactly when to expect it."
Many New Yorkers rent. Good news: these paintings don't require special installation.
Standard approach: Use picture-hanging wire on the back and standard picture hooks rated for the painting's weight. Most paintings under 48" weigh less than 10 pounds. Larger paintings might reach 15-20 pounds. Standard hardware from any hardware store works fine.
For minimal wall damage: Command picture-hanging strips work for smaller paintings (up to 30x36"). For larger pieces, use standard hooks—the small holes are easily spackled when you move.
Professional installation: If you want perfection, New York has hundreds of art installers who charge $50-150 depending on size and complexity. They'll ensure perfect leveling, proper height, and minimal wall damage.
Maintenance: Dust with a dry microfiber cloth every few weeks. The glossy enamel surface doesn't absorb dust like matte canvas.
Sunlight: Enamel paint handles direct sun better than most art, but it's still smart to avoid sustained direct sun in one spot all day. Standard apartment lighting conditions are perfect.
Humidity: Normal New York apartment conditions are fine. Avoid hanging in poorly ventilated bathrooms where extreme humidity might accumulate.
A Upper West Side resident has had five Tingatinga paintings for six years: "I dust them when I dust everything else. That's it. No special maintenance, no fading, no problems."
Will this work in my minimalist apartment?
Yes. Minimalism needs focal points. A single substantial painting against white walls creates exactly the impact minimalist design requires—one strong statement that anchors the space. An architect with a minimalist Soho loft features one 60x60" Tingatinga painting as the apartment's only art. The contrast between folk art and minimalist architecture is what makes the space interesting.
What if I move?
Tingatinga paintings work in different spaces and styles. That leopard painting that works in your Williamsburg loft will also work in your future Upper West Side prewar or Brooklyn brownstone. The bold colors and timeless subjects adapt to different contexts. Think of it as an anchor piece that travels with you through different apartments and life stages.
Can I hang this in a professional space?
Absolutely. New York professional spaces—design studios, creative agencies, boutique law firms, medical practices—use Tingatinga paintings to signal global awareness and creative thinking. A Flatiron design studio features three Tingatinga paintings in their main workspace. The founder reports: "Clients consistently comment on them. It signals that we appreciate craftsmanship and think globally."
How do I explain it to guests?
Simple directness: "This was hand-painted by [artist name] in Dar es Salaam using a style that's been passed down since 1968. I bought it directly from the artists' cooperative."
Most New York guests ask substantial follow-up questions—about Tanzania, the techniques, the cooperative model. The art becomes a conversation about craft, cultural exchange, and authentic artistic traditions.
What if my taste changes?
Tingatinga's folk art style is classic—it doesn't date the way trendy contemporary prints do. A painting created in 2015 looks as fresh today as it did then. And because the colors are bold and varied, you can build different color schemes around the same painting over time. One East Village resident has rearranged her apartment three times around the same 48x48" bird painting, using different accent colors each time.
Explore our complete collection of over 500 original paintings. Notice which pieces make you pause, smile, or keep returning to the screen. That immediate response indicates genuine connection.
Traditional Tingatinga: Classic wildlife—elephants, leopards, giraffes—in bold, saturated colors
Contemporary interpretations: Modern compositions with geometric elements and abstract backgrounds
Abstract designs: Bold patterns without representational subjects—works brilliantly in minimalist spaces
Cultural scenes: Village life, celebrations, daily activities—adds narrative depth
Landscapes: Baobab trees, savannas, sunsets
Read about our artists to understand their individual styles and stories. When you connect with an artist's work, you can explore their full body of work and potentially acquire multiple pieces over time.
Don't rush. Begin with one painting for your most important space. A Chelsea resident recommends: "I lived with my first painting for three months before buying more. That period let me understand how it worked in my space, my light, my life. Now I have five paintings, but each purchase was deliberate."
Use our Make An Offer feature to negotiate directly. Many New York buyers appreciate this flexibility.
New York demands authenticity. Not the same prints everyone else has. Not AI-generated images lacking soul. Not mass-produced canvases from West Elm that appear in every third apartment.
What New York respects: original work by named artists, created using documented techniques, with genuine stories worth telling.
Tingatinga paintings deliver exactly that. Bold color. Human craft. Direct artist support. Museum-recognized cultural significance. And visual impact that earns its place on your walls.
Start exploring now and discover the painting that makes you stop scrolling.
Free shipping via DHL and Aramex. 100% delivery success rate. Dar es Salaam to your door in 7-10 business days. Fully tracked.
Your walls deserve better than generic.
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Centimeters (CM) |
Inches (IN) |
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50CM x 40CM |
19 11/16 in XÂ 15 3/4 in |
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50CM x 50CM |
19 11/16 in XÂ 19 11/16 in |
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60CM x 60CM |
23 5/8 in XÂ 23 5/8 in |
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70CM x 50CM |
27 9/16 in XÂ 19 11/16 in |
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80CM x 60CM |
31 1/2 in XÂ 23 5/8 in |
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100CM x 80CM |
39 3/8 in XÂ 31 1/2 in |
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140CM x 110CM |
55 1/8 in X 43 5/16 in |
