📖 Biography

Lubaina Himid was born in 1954 on the island of Zanzibar, off the coast of Tanzania, and moved to Britain as a baby with her British mother following the death of her Zanzibari father, growing up acutely aware of her dual heritage.

Himid studied Theatre Design at Wimbledon College of Art and later earned an MA in Cultural History from the Royal College of Art, working as a set designer before becoming a central figure in the British Black Arts Movement of the 1980s, both as a painter and as a curator championing the work of other Black artists, particularly women.

Himid's practice spans painting, drawing, installation and printmaking, consistently engaging with uncovering marginalised and silenced histories, including the human cost of the transatlantic slave trade, often working across unconventional surfaces including ceramic tableware and newspaper.

In 2017, aged 63, Himid became both the oldest ever winner and the first Black woman to win the Turner Prize, Britain's most prestigious contemporary art award, for an exhibition including her works Naming the Money and Le Rodeur: The Exchange, with the jury praising her for 'expanding the possibilities of painting'.

Himid was appointed MBE in 2010 for services to Black Women's Art and advanced to CBE in 2018 for services to Art; she continues working as Emeritus Professor of Contemporary Art at the University of Central Lancashire, and received the Maria Lassnig Prize in 2023 and the Suzanne Deal Booth / FLAG Art Foundation Prize in 2024.

🕰️ Timeline
1954
Born in Zanzibar, Tanzania.
1976
Graduates in Theatre Design from Wimbledon College of Art.
1980s
Becomes a central figure in the British Black Arts Movement.
2010
Appointed MBE for services to Black Women's Art.
2017
Becomes the first Black woman to win the Turner Prize.
2018
Advanced to CBE for services to Art.
2021
Major retrospective exhibition at Tate Modern.
✦ Achievements
  • ◆First Black woman to win the Turner Prize, 2017
  • ◆Oldest ever Turner Prize winner
  • ◆Central figure in the British Black Arts Movement of the 1980s
  • ◆Emeritus Professor of Contemporary Art, University of Central Lancashire
  • ◆Major retrospective at Tate Modern, 2021
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In 2017, Lubaina Himid made history as the first Black woman and the oldest artist to win the Turner Prize, one of the most prestigious awards in contemporary art.
On Lubaina Himid's landmark 2017 win
🕊️ Legacy
Lubaina Himid's 2017 Turner Prize win, making her both the oldest winner and the first Black woman to receive the award, capped a career spent uncovering marginalised histories and championing the work of fellow Black artists, cementing her place as one of the most significant figures in British contemporary art.
💡 Leadership Lessons
  • →Championing others can be as significant as one's own practice. Himid's curatorial work supporting fellow Black women artists ran alongside her own celebrated painting career for decades.
  • →Recognition can arrive well into a mature career. Himid's Turner Prize win at 63 showed that major recognition need not come early to be transformative.