Onias Mupumha is talented Shona artist renowned for his work with floral and botanical imagery in sculpture. Onias Mupumha was born in Rusape, Zimbabwe in the year 1978.
Mupumha learned to be an artist from his uncle, Richard Mupumha. His uncle helped him gain world wide clientele.
The artist is now based out of Harare, Zimbabwe.
Price range information: Sorry none available.
In this clip a brief interview with Onias Mupumha talking about working with flowers and cobalt stone:
I enjoy the fact that this artist is one of few shona artists specializing in floral and leaf works. Mupumha has fun with shapes and leaves are very animated and filled with energy as if blowing in the wind.
Colleen Madamombe was a Shona artist born in Harare, Zimbabwe in the year 1964. Colleen Madamombe earned a diploma in fine arts from the National Gallery of Zimbabwe. For the artist’s subject matter she enjoyed portraying the strong African women. She often worked portraying women doing something of their daily life including chores like carrying water, going to the market, and even having a child.
In the artist’s native of Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe International Film Festival the first place trophy after one of her characters.
Colleen Madamombe won the Best Female Artist of Zimbabwe three times.
In 1986 she married a fellow artist named Fabian Madamombe. Before she met him Colleen worked as a painter but after helping her husband with some projects Colleen began to produce sculptures. Below is an example of a mother and child sculpture by Fabian Madamombe.
Colleen Madamombe passed away in 2009.
Price range information: Sorry none available.
In this clip we visit the studio of Colleen Madamombe:
Moses Nyanhongo is a Shona artist born in Zimbabwe in the year 1981. Moses Nyanhongo was inspired my many other relatives that were artists but his main inspiration was his artist father, Claud Nyanhongo. Moses worked as an apprentice and assistant to his father before beginning his own studio.
In 1999 he moved from the countryside to the big city of Harare where he joined his many siblings and other relatives who were full time professional artists.
He enjoys working with the figure.
Moses Nyanhongo is based out of Harare, Zimbabwe.
About his work Nyanhongo states he is striving for contrast and texture. The artist also strives for a great contrast with light and dark colors.
Began exhibiting his own work with show at the Chapungu Sculpture Park located in Harare, Zimbabwe in 2002.
Price range: Sorry none available.
More to come soon other artists from this remarkable family of creativity!
Edward Chiwawa is one of the first generation of Shona sculptors and artists born in Guruve, Zimbabwe in the year 1935.
Began sculpting at the age of 35 years of age in 1970.
Chiwawa was able to learn and master his craft with the help of Henry Munyaradzi, another well respected Shona artist who happened to be his uncle.
In this clip we visit the artist for a brief interview. A happy fellow indeed!
His favorite theme and subject is the sun and the moon. Chiwawa works in a very stylistic and abstract manner. For the sun and the moon which are represented by simple circular shapes.
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.
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:
Dominic Benhura is a shona sculptor from Zimbabwe born in the year 1968 in what at the time was Rhodesia, but is now part of Zimbabwe. Like many shona sculptors, he came from a tough childhood. His father was died before he was even born. Raised by his mother he was an excellent student. In addition to stone the artist works with steel, wire, Most of his shows have been in Europe but he has started to make a name for himself in the United States.
Part of the second generation of shona sculptors. He is internationally renown and collected.
price range information: Sorry none available.
In this clip by a gallery owner representing Dominic Benhura at Art Basel Miami we learn more about the type of stone the artist enjoys working with. I found it interesting to hear about the different types of stones used and their characteristics. I hope to find this same information as it pertains to the Inuits and their type of serpentine or granite stone.
As the result of being an excellent student, he moved to another town to study and for period of time lived with a cousin who was a professional sculptor, Benhura was ten years of age at the time. After helping to polish some finished pieces belonging to his cousin he thought why not try to sculpt something himself. He sold his first work at the age of twelve years of age.
In this clip we view a piece titled “rejoicing” by Dominic Benhura:
In this clip we visit another sculpture showing children at play;
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