The stone is dark and smooth, polished until it shines. From it emerges a face with closed eyes, or a figure caught between human and animal. Zimbabwean stone sculpture, often called Shona sculpture, became one of Africa’s best-known modern art movements in the second half of the twentieth century. Its artists carved local stone into works that are now held in museums around the world.
The stone, McEwen and Tengenenge
Zimbabwe has rich deposits of serpentine, springstone, verdite and other stones suitable for carving. Artists choose stones for their colour, hardness and texture. Frank McEwen, the first director of the National Gallery in Salisbury, now Harare, opened in 1957, encouraged local artists and set up a workshop school at the gallery. In 1966, Tom Blomefield founded Tengenenge, a sculpture community on a farm, where artists from Zimbabwe and neighbouring countries lived and worked.
Sculptures often draw on Shona beliefs, spirits, ancestors, family and transformation. Many depict figures in contemplation or embrace.
Artists, exhibitions and markets
Artists such as Nicholas Mukomberanwa, Henry Munyaradzi, Joram Mariga and Sylvester Mubayi became internationally known. Exhibitions in Europe and America from the 1960s onward brought Zimbabwean sculpture to global audiences. After independence in 1980, the movement continued to grow, with sculpture becoming a symbol of national culture. Sculpture is sold in galleries, at roadside stalls and to collectors abroad. The quality ranges from fine art to tourist souvenirs.
Some critics question the label “Shona sculpture”, noting that the movement included artists from other groups and was shaped by outside patrons. Younger artists continue to carve, sometimes experimenting with new forms. Zimbabwe’s economic problems have made it harder for artists to earn a living.
Working the stone and the families
Carvers work with hammers, chisels and files, then polish the surface with sandpaper and heat it before applying wax. The process can take weeks or months for a large piece, and many artists say the stone guides the final shape. Many sculptors come from families of carvers, and children learn by working alongside parents. Sculpture parks such as Chapungu in Harare exhibit large works outdoors.
Major collections exist in Europe, America and Zimbabwe’s National Gallery. The stones of Zimbabwe were in the ground long before anyone carved them. A generation of sculptors gave them faces and sent them around the world.
