SHONA ART

During the1950's, the country then known as Southern Rhodesia developed their National galleryin the capital Salisbury, now Harare
to display a collection of western art. Frank McEwen, who was an established art critic and confident of Picasso, Matisse and Miro was the first choice for the position of curator of the newly established gallery. McEwen was intrigued,  even before his appointment in Rhodesia, with the idea of introducing modern art forms to"primitive" sculptors. After becoming the gallery's permanent director, he began workshops in which he taught painting and sculpture to native Rhodesians, including members of the largest tribe in, what is now known as Zimbabwe, the Shona. He taught the Fundamentals of sculpturing, but did not influence them in the subject of their sculptures. Instead, he asked them to draw inspiration from their traditional folklore and mystic beliefs. The result was an incredible array of styles and variations from the individual carver’s imagination