Oprah Shares the Painting That "Reminds Her Of Her Younger Self"

From Oprah Magazine

Whether it's lying under her favorite tree with the book she just can't put down or hosting special guests to connect over savory delights, Oprah has mastered the art of living her best life. For Saturdays with Oprah, the O of O invites readers inside her most blissful weekend moments.

Oprah is a busy woman, with a packed schedule that includes filming episodes of Super Soul Sunday, producing a TV series, and gearing up for an upcoming national arena tour. So she doesn't exactly have the time to wait for much—but there is one thing she's been anticipating for more than eight long months.

This Saturday, Oprah is celebrating the arrival of a painting by Nelson Makamo. While she and her friend Ava DuVernay were in Johannesburg, South Africa for the Global Citizen Festival last December, DuVernay introduced Oprah to the artist. (DuVernay was already a fan, and even used one of Makamo's pieces for the cover of an issue of Time that she guest edited about the importance of art.)

While Oprah was a fan of much of Makamo's work, she immediately enamored with one piece in particular. On Instagram, she shared a photo of her meeting Makamo as the two stood next to her purchase: A depiction of an adolescent girl that she says reminded her of her "younger self." But given the distance, Oprah had to wait for quite some time for the painting to arrive all the way to California—but now that it's here, she couldn't be more thrilled.

"Back in December when I was in this gallery in South Africa, I got this painting, and now she's here!" Oprah crooned after hanging up the portrait. "She's home. Welcome home, my lady. She's beautiful, right?!"

Makamo is a 37-year-old artist from the small town of Modimolle in South Africa's Limpopo province. He's shown his work in exhibits all around the world, from France, Italy, and Scotland to various countries in Africa. He also counts several well-known names as fans of his work, including Gayle and Tina Knowles Lawson; back in July, the two posed with the artist at a CEO barbecue in Silicon Valley.

According to Makomo's website, the majority of his paintings are influenced by the "candid innocence of children," particularly in rural South Africa. In fact, in an Instagram post about his appearance on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah last summer, the artist wrote: "My life’s work is to show the world who we truly are...I am an African child with a dream!"

You can check our more of Makamo's work here. Do you have an artist that you love? Let us know in the comments below—and don't forget to share how you're spending your Saturdays on social media with the hashtag #SaturdaysWithOprah.

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