Maynard Maenzanise is a contemporary Shona artist born in 1964 in Rusape, Zimbabwe. After finishing his general schooling the artist found work as a security guard. Maenzanise continued to create his artwork on the side. He soon took the plunge and slowly began to sell his artwork at local venues eventually quitting his guard job and becoming a full time artist.
Price range information: Works range from $300 to $3,000.
What I enjoy most about Maynard Maenzanise is his ability to produce what could be termed traditional shona art, simple shaped highly expressive characters. Maenzanise can also switch to more detailed highly realistic work.
The artist also sculpts remarkable usable art such as the bookends in the gallery. Another great fact about the artist is that he works in wood as well as the traditional stones found in the area.
Ablade Glover was born in Accra, Ghana in the year 1934. Glover is among the most popular living African artists. He works with thick paint and warm colors trying to capture the heat and atmosphere of the continent alongside the energy of the very large masses of people.
In this clip a great interview with Ablade Glover that begins with how he became an artist:
For his collegiate education Ablade Glover studied at The University of Art and Science and Technology located in Kumasi, Ghana. Glover also attended the Central School of Art and Design located in London,England. Glover also attended the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne in England. The artist also attended school in the United States at Kent State in Kent, Ohio and Ohio State University located in Columbia, Ohio.
Glover is collected internationally including the Prince and Princess of Japan.
Price range information: Works range from $5,000 to $20,000.
Taurai Maisiri is a shona artist born in Zimbabwe. Maisiri is one of few Shona artists that specializes in animals and wildlife of Africa rather than its people. Maisiri works often with the buffalo or rhino as his subject.
In this clip we see the artist at work! Many examples of his art is shown here.
Price range information: Works range from $400 to $3,000.
Anderson Mukomberanwa was a son of the legendary Shona artist Nicholas Mukomberanwa. Anderson Mukomberanwa was born in Ruwa, Zimbabwe in year 1968. Anderson was schooled in many mediums including printmaking, painting, and sculpting.
The artist attended college in Harare, Zimbabwe with the idea of working in the science industry, but after graduation decided to pursue an artistic career instead.
Other famous sculptors that were brothers of the artist include Taguma, Lawrence, Ennica, Netsai.
Anderson Mukomberanwa passed away in 2003 due to complications from cancer, he was only 35 years old.
price range information: Sorry none available.
What a great style Anderson Mukomberanwa had, I can’t help but think of the artist father son relationship of other artists such as Andrew and Jamie Wyeth, or even N.C. and Andy Wyeth. Who knows how great Anderson Mukomberanwa could have become if he had even reached the age of fifty. Let us remember life is often times to short to tackle everything we would like to accomplish!
Witness Bonjisi is a shona artist born in Mudzi, Zimbabwe in the year 1975. He is renown for his works featuring the female figure and face. Bonjisi comes from an artist filled family as three siblings went on to become artists.
price range information: Works range from $2,000 to $8,000.
Bonjisi began sculpting in 1992 with first generation shona artist Nicholas Mukomberanwa. Polishing and helping to finish works by others he began work on his won in 1997.
In this clip we view a work from 2010:
Below we view another wonderful sculpture by Bonjisi.
Joram Mariga was one of the first generation of Zimbabwe’s shona sculptors. Joram Moriga was born in the year 1927 in Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe. The artist’s parents were both artisans. His mother was a potter and his father a wood carver. Mariga is given credit for being the first shona artist to work with the green stone called soapstone.
Mariga was married four times and had eight children.
Started carving professionally in 1957. By the late 1960s Joram Mariga was considered the finest of all the shona sculptors.
Mariga’s art has graced the covers of national stamps in his homeland of Zimbabwe.
Joram Mariga passed away in 2002, from injuries sustained in car accident.
Mariga was vital to the careers of many second and third generation artists of Zimbabwe.
price range information: Sorry none available.
Mariga is included in the collection of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe.
Malangatana Valente- Ngwenya is perhaps the best and most internationally renown painter to come from the country of Mozambique. Malangatana Valente- Ngwenya was born in the year 1936 in Matalana, Mozambique. The artist enjoys working with the human figure and exaggerating facial expressions and body language to make very large paintings that have a great emotional range of the subjects involved. The artist works in many mediums including ceramics and sculpture in addition to his paintings.
He came to fall in love with art as a teen. He moved away from his family and found work as a ball boy at a tennis club. A woman who was a member of the club would buy supplies for him and also help him to make sales to fellow members.
Spent one year and half in jail for supporting an anti-government movement. After his jail time he would go on to win a scholarship to study art in Portugal.
Included in the collection of the National Gallery of African Art located in Washington D.C.
I don’t know what language this clip is in, but some great examples of the artist’s style:
A quick visit to the studio of the artist. Again, I am unsure of the language but love the visual pictures!
The artist passed away in 2011 at the age of 74 years of age.
Victor Fire is a contemporary shona sculptor from Zimbabwe. Victor Fire was born in the year 1965 in Guruve, Zimbabwe.
His father had 7 wives so he comes from a family that has 36 siblings in all including him. He quit school after the 7th grade. Fire wants his own children to learn skills in addition to sculpture. The artist has three children.
Works mainly with serpentine.
price range information: Works range from $1,000 to $10,000.
Winner of the best sculptor in Zimbabwe in the year 2004. This award is given out by the National Gallery of Zimbabwe.
Was working in a mine and a fellow worker was crushed to death. He quit and did not return to work and started to sculpt in order to make money.
In this clip an interview with the artist. We learn more about his family and the Tengenenge artist colony where more than 200 families now live:
In this clip we see many works by Victor Fire and an interview with the artist:
Elliott Katembera is a shona sculptor born in the 1970s. Katombera has been working alongside Nicholas Tandi and G. Gidi.
He is based out of Harare, Zimbabwe enjoys working with butter jade and verdite.
price range information:
Works range from $300 to $3,000.
In this clip we see the artist working on a piece. The best is at the end of the clip when at least 10 smaller bust carvings that Katombera is working are shown:
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