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CAMBA is proud to be one of the country's premier providers of Shona sculptures.
CAMBA’s sale of these unique sculptures benefits our many essential programs and
services.
Exceptional Art at Affordable Prices
African art has received broad interest in recent years, and contemporary
African art has become extremely popular. Zimbabwe, a southern African country
whose name literally means “the house of stone,” is known for its remarkable
stone sculptors. Some Shona sculptors are considered to be among the top
sculptors in the world.
Semi-abstract sculptures created by artists of the country’s largest ethnic
group can be found in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York,
the Musee Rodin in Paris, Queen Elizabeth II, the Rockefellers, the Rothschilds,
the actor Danny Glover and other discerning art collectors.
The Shona sculptors' work is inspired by their deeply-held spiritual beliefs,
folklore and daily life, and have in turn inspired many western artists. It is
believed that Pablo Picasso may have been influenced by this art form. While
modern in inspiration, their sculptures are created much as they were thousands
of years ago. The sculptors use simple chisels to “release” the spirits of the
stone. As the late Henry Munyaradzi, one of the most prominent sculptors
explained, “The sculpture is already hidden in the stone--I just it let out.”
One of Brooklyn’s Artistic Treasures
CAMBA started selling these one-of-a-kind pieces to bring this extraordinary art
form to our diverse community. CAMBA’s 1,500-square-foot gallery provides
exhibition space for many Shona sculptures at a time, making it one of the most
impressive collections in the United States.
Support for Artists and the Shona Art Form
CAMBA has supported this art form for more than 15 years through its purchases
of sculpture by Zimbabwean artists. In recent years, a respected dealer of Shona
sculpture who is from Zimbabwe, and has relationships with many of the artists
whose sculptures we display, has purchased sculpture in consultation with CAMBA
staff. These purchases allow CAMBA to offer them at reasonable prices and enable
the artists to continue their artistic endeavors. Due to the political climate
in Zimbabwe, and subsequent severe downturn in foreign tourists, there are fewer
available avenues for artists to find a market for their work.
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