Teuane Tibbo is best know for her colourful depictions of everyday life from her childhood in Samoa. Born in 1895 in Pago Pago, Samoa, she later lived in Fiji as an adult before moving to Auckland in 1945.

She began painting in the 1960s without any formal training. Pat Hanly introduced Tibbo to Barry Lett, who became her dealer and exhibited her works at Barry Lett Galleries. Her first solo exhibition opened in 1964.

Her work is held in the permanent collections of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, The University of Auckland and the National Gallery of Australia.

Since her death in 1984, at the age of 94, she has been included in significant surveys of Pacific art and in 2001 was the subject of the retrospective exhibition, Keep it in the Heart: The Paintings of Teuane Tibbo at Lopdell House, Auckland.