Alex Mbugua was born in Kirangari, Kiambu district in Kenya, in 1958. He joined Kirangari Primary School in 1965 and in 1978, he completed his form four (12th grade) in Kirangari Secondary School. Mbugua is the fourth born in his family and shares his love of painting with his brother Jeff Wambugu with whom he shares much of his unique style.
Mbugua grew as a child in the interest of art since his whole family is artistic. In 1980, he joined Kenya Christian Training College where he graduated in graphics, textile designs, interior and external decorations and screen-printings and other courses. In 1994 the Banana Hill Art Studio influenced him. He then started training in fine arts. By 1997, his first four paintings work were displayed and sold by Gallery Watatu. He did the first workshop with Banana Hill Art Studio under the guidance of Shine Tani in
1994. After teaming up with the group, he participated in many other workshops and cultural exchanges. In one of the exchanges he did, his first sculpture was entitled “Two in One”. Mbugua also did clay sculptures in a workshop within the community in the year 2002.
The Banana Hill Art Studio has motivated and inspired Mbugua a great deal as he was a very active member of it. He has exhibited with the group since he joined, both in side and out side the studio and both local and internationally. His subjects are diversified, but mostly he is inspired by the African woman in society. Mbugua used oil or assorted colors and sometimes works with mix media.
Sadly Alex Mbugua has passed away in 2006 after a long suffering of leukemia.
