Chapungu: keeping a sculpture collection
Named artists, preserved works and the making of a collection of Zimbabwean stone sculpture in Harare.
An original summary of the sources below, not original field reporting. Contributor and cultural review are pending.
The artists are part of the history.
Chapungu presents its permanent collection as a record of Zimbabwean stone sculpture. Its account names artists including Nicholas Mukomberanwa, Henry Munyaradzi, Sylvester Mubayi and Bernard Matemera. Naming makers matters: the work is not an anonymous expression of a single national or ethnic identity.
According to Chapungu, the collection grew partly through sculptures set aside rather than sold. Its stated intention was to preserve works for future generations and commemorate a productive period in the development of the art form. This is the collection’s own account of how and why it was assembled.
Chapungu describes its Harare sculpture park as a place to encounter the collection and says it has promoted Zimbabwean stone sculpture since 1970. This article is not an artist interview or an independent appraisal. The source introduces a specific collection while leaving room for artists’ voices and other perspectives on Zimbabwean visual culture.
Sources
The story continues.
Our publication will grow through consent-based reporting and contributions from people with relevant knowledge and lived experience.
Our editorial principles →