|
|
||
|---|---|---|
HOME |
||
| The Artists | ||
| Sculpture - shona | ||
| Sculpture - bronze | ||
| Painting | ||
| Customer care | ||
| Ordering | ||
| Contact us | ||
|
||
|
Zimbabwe La escuela/el texto africanos del taller por McEwen franco; fotografía de Sylvia Beck. [Salisbury: Galería nacional de Rhodesia, 1967]. illus [de 34] Pp. NB1096.6.R5A25 AFA. OCLC 5993013. Este librete, consistiendo principalmente en fotografías, está de interés como documento histórico del movimiento de piedra de la escultura de Zimbabwe. Las fotografías tempranas de los escultores, que ahora han envejecido junto con el movimiento, se demuestran aquí en el trabajo o en el juego. Ellas y otras son referidas por McEwen, familiar y secretamente, con solos nombres -- “Mosca,” “pedir,” “Simon” -- nos preguntamos quiénes realmente son. Qué también está interesando en la retrospección es el velo del romanticismo que era cubierto ya sobre los escultores -- “místicamente inclinado y armado con paciencia sin fin… con una creencia inherente en la adoración de antepasado y el reino del no visto.” La escuela del taller, diez años de en servicio antes de 1967, tomó orgullo en ser autosuficiente de la venta de trabajos. El comercio era parte y paquete del movimiento desde el principio. Artnetafrica Arnold, Marion. Escultura de piedra de Zimbabwean. Bulawayo: Louis Bolze, 1986. xxvi, 234pp. illus., mapa, bibliog. OCLC 18909483. La tesis de Arnold era el primer estudio principal de la escultura de piedra contemporánea de Zimbabwean. El alcance es algo más amplio en que ella considera también la escultura de piedra antigua -- los pájaros y los monoliths de piedra de gran Zimbabwe. Su foco está en la iconografía de Shona más bien que en el movimiento del arte en su totalidad en todos sus aspectos sociológicos y comerciales (como libro del Invierno-Irving's 1991 está). Un estudio histórico del arte, escultura de piedra de Zimbabwean discute la forma y el contenido, incluyendo imágenes humanas, animales y supernatural, mirando el trabajo de un grupo selecto de los escultores de Shona. Las biografías de estos veintiuno escultores se dan en un apéndice (pp. 183-197). Enumeran a otros escultores de piedra, no discutidos en el texto pero quiénes han participado en exposiciones, en un apéndice separado. Aunque Arnold no discute la conexión directa entre la escultura de piedra antigua y el moderno, ella sugiere que Shona que talla en madera y que moldea en la arcilla de las figuras antropomorfas y zoomorphic la base iconographical proporcionada y la maestría técnica en las cuales los escultores modernos dibujaron -- una vez el nuevo incentivo, un arte para el motivo del arte, fue introducido. La investigación original en la cual se basa este libro era la tesis del amo del autor dada derecho: Algunos aspectos de la iconografía en las esculturas seleccionadas de Shona. Esta reimpresión de la edición 1981 (Bulawayo: Los libros de Zimbabwe) incorporan cambios del lugar-nombre y ofrecen una posdata nueva. Artnetafrica El venir de la edad: aus Zimbabwe de Kunst del zeitgenössische: Chikonzero Chazunguza, Doreen Sibanda, Voti Thebe, Ishmael Wilfred, dado Bildhauer del und de Craig Wylie: Bernard Matemera, Nicholas Mukomberanwa, José Muzondo, Juan Takawira. Aschaffenburg: Städtische Galerie Jesuitenkirche, 1998. 96pp. illus. (color). (Foro Aschaffenburg, 20). N7396.6.R5C66 1998 AFA. OCLC 43343882. La pintura es escultura de piedra excesiva privilegiada en esta exposición del arte contemporáneo de Zimbabwean llevado a cabo en Aschaffenburg, Alemania, en 1998. Los artistas ofrecidos son Chikonzero Chazunguza, Doreen Sibanda, Voti Thebe, Ishmael Wilfred, Craig Wylie, Bernard Matemera, Nicolas Mukomberanwa, José Muzondo, Juan Takawira, y Sithabile Mlotshwa.
Arte contemporáneo en Zimbabwe. Amsterdam: Artoteek Amsterdam Zuidoost, 1998. 39pp. illus. (pinta. color). qN7396.6.R5C68 1998 AFA. OCLC 47094868.
El tallar de piedra contemporáneo de Zimbabwe: [exposición] parque de la escultura de Yorkshire, del 22 de julio al 25 de noviembre de 1990. [Wakefield, Inglaterra]: Escultura Park, 1990. 60pp de Yorkshire. principalmente illus. (pinta. color). qNB1209.Z55C76 AFA 1990. OCLC 23359729. El parque de la escultura de Yorkshire era un ajuste elegante para cuál era la exposición más grande de la escultura de piedra de Zimbabwe montada siempre. Ofrecieron a treinta y seis artistas, los amos tempranos y escultores más jóvenes igualmente; sus trabajos se fotografían in situ en el parque de la escultura de Yorkshire. El texto del catálogo ofrece tres perspectivas en el fenómeno de piedra de la escultura de Zimbabwe. McEwen franco, que estaba presente en la creación de este movimiento del arte, pero ahora ha salido de la escena, comparte algunas reflexiones personales de su posición ventajosa única. El pastor de Michael del crítico del arte determina el trabajo del poste opuesto: un forastero que nunca ha estado a Zimbabwe. En tercer lugar, Joram Mariga, acreditado a veces con ser el carver de piedra original de Zimbabwe, ciertamente uno del primer, habla de su propio trabajo. Las biografías y un glosario de los artistas de la piedra de Zimbabwe son incluidos. Exposición repasada por Gemma Nesbitt, “escultura Captivating,” economista africano meridional (Harare) 3 (5): 45-46, octubre el noviembre de 1990.
Primos, Jane. “La fabricación de la escultura de Zimbabwean,” tercer texto; Las perspectivas del tercer mundo en arte contemporáneo y cultivan (Londres) ningún 13:31 - 42, illus del invierno 1991., las notas. NX1.T445 AFA. El commodification de la escultura de piedra de Zimbawean un correcto del problema del principio para sus promotores y sus detractores. Puesto que la independencia él se ha convertido en una materia política también, simbolizando una identidad cultural nacional y promovido como tal por la galería nacional de Zimbabwe y de otros. Con todo para la mayoría del Zimbabweans, la escultura de piedra “tradicional” sigue siendo extranjera, o algo, siguen siendo notablemente indiferentes a ella. Su éxito comercial es internacional, no local. Los primos exploran porqué esto está tan y porqué el puñado de los artistas que están intentando explotar de este molde lo están encontrando así que hacer difícilmente. Entre estos artistas más jóvenes que persiguen tus propias visiones intelectuales ser Tapfuma Gutsa y voto Thebe.
Kennedy, Jean. “Los escultores de Zimbabwe: artistas con una vieja herencia,” pp. 158-168. En: Nuevas corrientes, ríos antiguos: artistas africanos contemporáneos en una generación del cambio. Washington, C.C.: Prensa Smithsonian de la institución, 1992. illus., bibl. refs. (página 192). N7391.65.K46 1992X AFA. OCLC 22389510. El movimiento de piedra de la escultura en Zimbabwe ha provocado mucha discusión sobre la autenticidad, la calidad, la comercialización, y la imitación en arte, pero después de que casi cuatro décadas siga siendo un movimiento vital y acertado, como él o no. El retelling de Kennedy de la historia de la escultura de piedra de Zimbabwe se centra en el período formativo, durante el cual la primera generación de artistas emergió. Mucha de ellos siguen siendo (o hasta hace poco tiempo estaban) activa -- Sylvester Mubayi (1942 -), José Ndandorika (1940 -), el último Juan Takawira (1938-1989), Henrio Munyaradzi (1931 -), y Joram Mariga (1927 -).
Kennedy, Jean. “Cielo y tierra en Zimbabwe,” pp. 155-157. En: Nuevas corrientes, ríos antiguos: artistas africanos contemporáneos en una generación del cambio. Washington, C.C.: Prensa Smithsonian de la institución, 1992. illus., bibl. refs. (página 192). N7391.65.K46 1992X AFA. OCLC 22389510. La génesis del arte moderno en Zimbabwe estaba en la escuela del taller en la galería nacional, el niño del cerebro de McEwen franco (1907-1994). En el principio (en los últimos años 50) la pintura y el woodcarving fueron enseñados, pero empiedran eventual tallar predominado, según el evangelio de McEwen. Este esfuerzo abortivo en la pintura produjo a un pintor de nota -- Thomas Mukarobgwa (1924 -). Aunque él, abandonó también la pintura para la escultura de piedra, interesante a te, han animado que vuelva a este medio en los años 90. Artnetafrica Kileff, Clive y Maricarol Kileff. Vendedores de calle de la escultura de piedra de Zimbabwe: artistas y empresarios. Gweru: Prensa del mambo, 1996. XII, 68pp. illus. (pinta. color), bibliog. (pp. 67-68). HF5459.Z55K55 1996X AFA. OCLC 35948827. El movimiento de piedra de la escultura de Zimbabwe ha sido siempre tanto sobre comercio como sobre arte. De su inicio en los últimos años 50, los discusiones se han centrado en aplicaciones la autenticidad, arte fino contra arte turístico, y distinguir a los artistas “verdaderos” de los imitadores y de los cortes. Nadie realmente se ha centrado en el extremo inferior del alto espectro arte-bajo del arte -- los vendedores de calle, empresarios que ganan un sustento de la escultura de fabricación y hawking. El estudio corto del Kileffs es una mirada de restauración en el final de la pequeña empresa de la producción del arte en Zimbabwe. Comienza con la premisa que este negocio es perfectamente legítimo y digno. Lejos de adoptar una postura dismissive hacia estos individuos, el Kileffs admira a artista-empresarios para su industriousness e iniciativa. Los autores evaden las preocupaciones del establecimiento del arte, e investigan en ángulo recto qué va en fuera de la galería de arte con aire acondicionado. De esta posición ventajosa está todo sobre estrategias de la economía y de la supervivencia en un mercado competitivo. Se identifican y se discuten siete estrategias de la comercialización: los walkers a solas de la calle, soporte de borde de la carretera, alquilaron el soporte de noche, el soporte de la propiedad colectiva, la tienda del objeto curioso, la empresa comunal diversificada, y la galería. El comportamiento de consumidor es escudriñado cuidadosamente por los vendedores, y adaptan su echada vendedora y golpeteo de negociación por consiguiente: la venta suave, un upmanship, nombra tu precio, socavando privado los precios que van, el escultor ausente representado por otro que no puedan ajustar precios, y el bombardeo total. Los vignettes de las historias de la vida de los artista-empresarios individuales, a que el Kileffs ha recogido, habla a las aspiraciones, a las habilidades adquiridas, y a las realidades económicas. Muchos de los artistas son school-leavers que intentan hacer un dólar honesto; varias son mujeres; algunas son empresas de la familia; algunos están aventurando tan lejos a lo lejos como Ciudad del Cabo, Suráfrica, vender sus mercancías. Aunque solamente una fracción minúscula de los vendedores de calle de Zimbabwe la hará siempre al circuito de la galería de arte, la mayoría del sueño de hacer tan. Pero en un mundo postmodern, las aplicaciones la calidad se están barriendo a un lado, pues se desafía la autoridad cultural de la élite. Commodification del arte es un gran nivelador. ¿Importa quién hace arte o se vende donde arte? A pesar de una posdata en “una evaluación poste-moderna de la calidad del arte de los vendedores de calle,” esto no es un estudio cargado abajo con análisis y porciones pesado-redactados de estadística; lee casi anecdotely, como un ensayo que crezca fuera de interés personal más bien que de necesidad académica. Ilustrado con las fotografías de los artista-empresarios. Repasado por M.F.C. Bourdillon en Zambezia (Harare) 24 (2): 201-202, 1997. Repasado por Murray MCARTNEY en galería; el compartimiento del arte del delta de la galería (Harare) ningún 10:22, diciembre de 1996. qN1.G168 AFA. OCLC 33161032.
Kuhn, alegría. Mito y magia: el arte del Shona de Zimbabwe. Ciudad del Cabo: Poner Nelson, 1978. 112pp. illus. (pinta. color). NB1096.6.R5K83X AFA. OCLC 5661113. La perspectiva de Kuhn de la alegría en los escultores de piedra de Zimbabwe y sus mentores, McEwen franco, Ned Patterson, y Tom Blomefield, es altamente personalizada; su narrativa es downright habladora. Pero debajo de todo el singular de la primero-persona, uno puede espigar algunas penetraciones en estos años tempranos de la pre-independencia del movimiento, cuando Harare era Salisbury inmóvil, Zimbabwe era Rhodesia y los “terroristas” estaban al exterior en la tierra. La molestia, sin embargo, es la ausencia total de los subtítulos para identificar las fotografías; ningunos nombres, ningunos lugares; ningunas fechas; nada, excepto una nota que la mayoría sea de la colección privada de Tom Blomefield e ilustra probablemente las esculturas de Tengenenge.
Herencias de la piedra: Zimbabwe más allá de y presente. El volumen 2/curated y corrigió por Geert G. Bourgois, asistido por Els De Palmenaer; advertencia de George P. Kahari. Tervuren: Museo real para África central, 1997. illus. (pinta. color), mapa, bibliog. (pp. 190-194). N7396.6.R5L44 1997 volumen 2 AFA. OCLC 38742939. Una exposición importante en Zimbabwe fue celebrada en el centrale real de Musée de l'Afrique en 1997, la mitad de el cual fue dedicada al arte moderno. El volumen 2 contiene nueve ensayos que cubran la escultura de piedra, el arte de la misión, la pintura, el “arte del forastero,” el arte turístico, y la educación del arte. Esta vista panorámica de la escena contemporánea del arte en Zimbabwe se piensa no como “quién es quién,” sino como “cuál es qué.” Fueron planeadas originalmente para incluir solamente la escultura de piedra, pero persuadieron los organizadores que eso haría una deservicio a los artistas de Zimbabwe así como a visitantes a la exposición. Dos ensayos en la escultura de piedra conducen apagado, seguido por un “interludio científico” por el geólogo que Georges se inclina. Su análisis de las rocas usadas por los escultores de piedra de Zimbabwe demuestra que los nombres de la piedra mencionados en la literatura no corresponden a la realidad. Las piedras más de uso general, clorito, sericite, serpentinite y esteatita, son todo el relativamente suaves y fáciles de tallar con las herramientas simples pero son suficientemente resistentes garantizar firmeza. Las escuelas de arte misión-basadas tempranas, Cyrene y Serima, proporcionan la sustancia de un capítulo histórico importante en la historia del arte moderno en Zimbabwe. La porción bien ilustrada del catálogo (volumen 2, pp. 141-184) refleja la secuencia de los ensayos que demuestran ejemplos de todos los tipos de arte. No cada trabajo en la exposición se ilustra, sin embargo. Contenido: Bamboleo de Paul, arte contemporáneo en Zimbabwe; - Jonatán Zilberg, la recepción occidental de un arte africano moderno: el caso de la escultura de piedra de Zimbabwean; - Geert Gabriël Bourgois, escultura de piedra del Vigésimo-siglo en Zimbabwe; - Georges se inclina, petrografía de las rocas usadas para la escultura de Zimbabwean; - Elizabeth Randles, arte de la misión en Zimbabwe; - Paisajes del Timothy O. McLoughlin, de Zimbabwean y cityscape: algunos ejemplos de los pintores y de los escritores de Zimbabwean en inglés; - Pipa que se encrespa, arte del forastero: tema y estilo; -- Geert Gabriël Bourgois, arte turístico: ¿una bendición en disfraz? ; - Matome Neo y Stephen Williams, tendiendo un puente sobre límites culturales: una escuela del arte y del diseño para la región africana meridional de la comunidad del desarrollo (SADC). Repasado por Gary van Wyk en los artes africanos (Los Ángeles) 32 (1): 17, 88-89, resorte 1999. Artnetafrica Leyten, Harrie M. Tengenenge: een el beeldhouwersgemeenschap en Zimbabwe/Harry Leyten. Baarn, Países Bajos: Kasteel Groeneveld, c1994. 120pp. illus. (pinta. color), bibl. refs (página 119). NB1209.Z55L49 1994 AFA. OCLC 37343584. Este catálogo fue publicado para acompañar la exposición “Viejo-Tengenenge nuevo de Tengenenge” en Kasteel Groeneveld, Baarn y en el museo de África, en Dal, Países Bajos, del 19 de mayo al 26 de septiembre de 1994 de Berg. El “viejos y el nuevos” refieren a tres generaciones de los escultores de piedra que han trabajado en la comunidad de la escultura de Tengenenge en Zimbabwe norteño de su establecimiento en 1966 al presente. Tom Blomefield, granjero anterior del tabaco con un doblado artístico, recuentos cómo Tengenenge entró en el siguiente del declaración de la independencia universal en Rhodesia en 1965 y el derrumbamiento del negocio del tabaco. Los trabajadores de granja hicieron escultores para eke hacia fuera un sustento. Chrispen Chakanyuka y limón Moses era el primer. La guerra de los años 70 cerró Tengenenge pero antes de el an o 80 restableció. Harrie Leyton escribe un ensayo bien informado pensativo en la historia y el crecimiento de la comunidad de la escultura de Tengenenge con estas tres fases: 1966-1978, 1981-1987, y 1988 al presente. No se observa generalmente que los artistas de Tengenenge han venido de Malawi, de Angola y de Mozambique así como de Zimbabwe. La pelea ahora legendaria entre Tom Blomefield y McEwen franco Tengenenge determinado en un curso independiente para hacer su propio nombre aparte de el establecimiento del arte en Harare, que fue dominado por McEwen. Con éxito comercial vinieron las cuestiones de la autenticidad, de la repetición, de la innovación, y de la calidad. La escultura de piedra de Zimbabwe ha tenido éxito y ha fallado en estos puntos, y la comunidad de la escultura de Tengenenge no es ninguna excepción. Las esculturas en la actual exposición son prestadas por el parque de la escultura de Chupungu en Msasa, Harare. Las fotografías y el biodate son incluidos para los escultores. ----------------------------------- McEwen, carta franca. “Volver a los orígenes: nuevas direcciones para el arte africano,” artes africanos (Los Ángeles) 1 (2): 18-25, 88, illus del invierno 1968. A McEwen los artistas asociados a su escuela del taller en Harare (entonces Salisbruy) son los únicos artistas modernos verdaderamente auténticos en África. Desemejante del sappy, sin inspiración, homogenzied el trabajo que salía de las escuelas de arte de la tercero-tarifa en África, el arte de Zimbabwe se presenta “de los intestinos de África.” Consolidado y protegido, “un genio inactivo ha restablecido.” McEwen es unabashed en su defensa del papel de la galería nacional en promover, contener, y artistas que patrocinan del talento. Cuál es interesante en esta manifestación temprana del talento de Zimbabwean es el número de pintores -- los trabajos de Thomas Mukarobgwe, de Charles Fernando, y de José Ndandarika se ilustran aquí. Que la parte del movimiento del arte de Zimbabwe se parece haber muerto hacia fuera a favor de tallar de piedra. Ilustran a los escultores Bernard Manyandure, Boira Mteki, Barakinya, limón Moses, Joram Mariga, y Kumberai Mapanda también en este artículo. Artnetafrica Mawdsley, Joceline. Escultura de piedra de Zimbabwe: la segunda generación: Dominic Benhura, Arturo Fata, Jonatán Gutsa, Tapfuma Gutsa, Kakoma Kweli, maravilla Lucas, Colleen Madamombe, Fabian Madamombe, Eddie Masaya, Anderson Mukomberanwa, Alicia Musarara, José Muzondo, Agnes Nyanhongo, Gedion Nyanhongo, Brighton Sango, Norbert Shamuyarira, Staycot Tahwa/[diseñado y escrito por Joceline Mawdsley]. Harare, Zimbabwe: Escultura Park, 1994 de Chapungu. illus [de 48] Pp. (pinta. color), bibliog. (página 48). Notas: “Una exposición que viaja, lugar del lanzamiento, 1994, galería de Atkinson, centro de los artes de CRMA muy bien, calle de la escuela de Millfield, Somerset, Inglaterra.” Incluye las biografías de los artistas. NB1209.Z55M46 1994 AFA. OCLC 34126628. Treinta y cinco años después del principio del movimiento de piedra de la escultura de Zimbabwe, uno sabe hablar de la aparición de una segunda generación de escultores. La mayoría emergieron como artistas a partir de los últimos años 70. Con venir de la independencia en el an o 80 y con la ayuda y el estímulo de la primera generación de escultores, estos más nuevos escultores (principalmente más jóvenes) han prosperado. La segunda generación, acordando el Mawdsley, está empujando los límites de la escultura de piedra de Zimbabwe de maneras innovadoras e importantes, tales como combinar la piedra con madera y otros materiales. Las formas, están cambiando también, y hay un movimiento lejos de las superficies de piedra altamente pulidas del guardapolvo. Artnetafrica MOR, Ferdinand. Escultura/fotografías de Shona de David Hartung; prefacio de Roberto Mugabe; traducido del italiano por Belinda McKay. Harare: Jongwe, 1987. 160pp. illus. (color), mapa, bibliog. NB1096.6.R5M82 1987 AFA. OCLC 18537957. El MOR, embajador italiano anterior a Zimbabwe, ha encapsulado la tradición sculptural de Shona para los no especialistas en lo que él llama “un texto y una invitación.” Un layperson informado, él escribió este ensayo no-de estudiante pero pensativo y sincero, obviamente, como trabajo del amor. Aunque el MOR utiliza la escultura de “Shona” de la designación, ahora desechada generalmente como misleadingly estrecho, la lista de los artistas (pp. 152-158) menciona a varios que estén de Yao, de Chewa y de otros orígenes del non-Shona. El foco del MOR, sin embargo, es la “escuela de Harare,” y él se entrevistó con a un número de artistas Harare-basados. Él discute orígenes y progresos -- Comunidades francas de McEwen, de Vukutu y de Tengenenge -- las características y las tendencias, igualan la piedra sí mismo como medio de la escultura. Seleccionando a Juan Takawira, Henrio Munyaradzi y Nicholas Mukomberanwa como las tres lumbreras de la tradición, él también discute brevemente varios otros. Cientos esculturas se ilustran en color. La bibliografía extensa, incluyendo los artículos periodísticos, y la lista de exposiciones de la escultura de piedra de Zimbabwe se añaden. Artnetafrica Noy, Ilse. El arte de las mujeres de Weya. Harare: Baobab Books, 1992. 184pp. illus. (pinta. color). [distribuido: Libro africano colectivo, Oxford]. N7396.6.R5N94 1992 AFA. OCLC 29293467. Este libro atractivo producido, con muchas fotografías del color, es una colaboración entre las mujeres rurales y un artista y un profesor de arte alemanes, Ilse Noy de Zimbabwean. Noy enseñó originalmente a mujeres de Zimbabwean en el área comunal de Weya que cosían y que pintaban, para ayudaros a suplir su subsistencia que cultivaba ganancias. Con su arte, las mujeres revelaron aspectos de sus vidas y tradiciones. Hablan de su trabajo en los subtítulos con las fotografías del color del mejor de sus ilustraciones. En el texto de acompañamiento, las mujeres hablan de sus mundos de la unión y los niños, sexualidad y muerte, los alcoholes y los antepasados, esperanzas y se preocupan. El libro es inmediatamente un libro acerca del arte de las mujeres, y una ojeada en la tela de las vidas de los artistas. Repasado por Janet L. Stanley en el expediente que publica del libro africano (Oxford) 20 (3): 181, 1994; por Victoria Scott en africano estudia la revisión (Atlanta) 38 (1): 168-169, abril de 1995. Artnetafrica Pearce, Carole. “El mito “de la escultura de Shona,” “Zambezia; el diario de la universidad de Zambia (Harare) 20 (2): 85-107, 1993. tablas, notas, bibl. refs. Extracto, página 85. H1.Z35X AFA. La escultura de piedra de Zimbabwe era así que delimitado y acanalado por McEwen franco y posteriormente por otros promotores que era inevitable que la escultura se ha homogeneizado, comercial y formulaic. Su “autenticidad” es la visión modernista impuesta por McEwen, que insistencia respecto a blindar a los artistas -- rural, uneducated en gran parte a hombres -- de exterior pernicioso las influencias de hecho han impedido su crecimiento como artistas. La “escultura de Shona” ha seguido siendo notable constante sobre los años en tema y contenido -- conservador, rural, idealizado, separado de realidades de la vida en Zimbabwe. El trabajo de la piedra es conceptual más fácil que formulando una idea en una pintura de dos dimensiones. McEwen prefirió la piedra como el mejor capaz medio de expresar esta creatividad africana “auténtica”. El mercado exige y el gusto para la escultura de piedra de Zimbabwe ha perpetuado estas soluciones artísticas formulaic y convencionales. Artnetafrica Ponter, Anthony y Laura Ponter. Alcoholes en piedra: la cara nueva del arte africano. Sebastopol, CA: Prensa de Ukama, 1992. 202pp. illus. (color), bibliog. NB1096.6.R5P814 1992 AFA. OCLC 26610101. Producidos pródigamente, los alcoholes en piedra son una cruz entre un libro brillante de la tabla de café, un catálogo pulido de las ventas de un almacén grande del upscale, y un compartimiento del ambiente del ahorrar--planeta. La historia del arte esto no es. Uno debe colocar este libro en el poste opuesto de la historia seria del arte. Esculturas genéricas -- el buho simboliza esto, el león simboliza eso -- se ofrecen para arriba para los compradores potenciales, y un ajuste alejado, exótico se evoca para terminar el cuadro, con los animales salvajes indispensables y las caídas excesivas de Victoria del arco iris. El lector se guarda. Gozar de los cuadros, que están convenientemente impresionantes y todos en color, pero saltar el texto, que está patronizando y preocupado con la fabricación del sentir bien del lector sobre la escultura de piedra de Zimbabwe y de Zimbabwe más bien que entender sobre cuáles es todo. Artnetafrica Alcohol en piedra: Escultura de Zimbabwe Shona: el museo de Cleveland de la historia natural, del 1 de junio al 4 de agosto de 1991. [Cleveland: Museo de Cleveland de la historia natural, 1991]. 24pp. illus., bibl. refs. qNB1096.6.R5S75 1991 AFA. OCLC 24169497. Para esta exposición americana, el cocinero de Roy seleccionó a nueve escultores de Zimbabwe que trabajo representa para él el el más excepcional y más chevronn3e de la escultura de piedra de ese país. Al obrar así, él esperaba chispear el interés del público americano (y de otros museos) en esta forma de arte. Que estas esculturas fueron demostradas en un museo de la historia natural en vez de un museo del arte levantó algunas cejas. El dilema más grande para el cocinero y otros, que aprecian la escultura de piedra de Zimbabwe como arte verdaderamente fino, es su comercialización rápida y dilusión consiguiente al lado de las imitaciones inferiores. Los críticos del arte aquí y en Zimbabwe no han podido hasta ahora dibujar la línea: la mayoría de los espectadores genuino no pueden ver la diferencia entre el bueno, el malo y el mediocre. Quizás debemos confiar en el juicio del cocinero. Sus nueve son: Edronce Rukodzi, Henrio Munyaradzi, José Ndandarika, Juan Takawira, Moses Masaya, Nicholas Mukomberanwa, Sylvester Mubayi, Norbert Shamuyarira, y Richard Mteki. McEwen franco, el instigator de este fenómeno artístico, contribuye un ensayo a este catálogo titulado “renacimiento de un arte.” Exposición repasada por Evelyn Castillo, “alcohol en piedra: Escultura de Shona,” reparto verdadero (Cleveland, OH) 1 (2): 5-7, 21 de junio de 1991. Artnetafrica Stanislaus, tolerancia. “Alcohol congelado: Escultura de piedra de Zimbabwean,” escultura (Washington, C.C.) 11 (1): 44-47, enero el febrero de 1992. illus., bibl. refs. VF -- Artistas -- Zimbabwe. La escultura de piedra de Zimbabwe se ha elogiado como “arte tribal auténtico,” puesto como “alcoholes en piedra,” denigrado como “arte del aeropuerto.” Que ha sido amenazada por la comercialización casi desde el principio en los últimos años 50 no es adentro conflicto. De hecho, los que gritan lo más ruidosamente posible son los distribuidores de arte. Stanislaus selecciona a tres escultores, que ella siente subida sobre los discusiones enojados y que trabajo habla elocuente para sí mismo. Los tres son Nicholas Mukomberanwa y Henrio Munyaradzi de la primera generación de los escultores de Zimbabwe, y Tapfuma Gutsa, escultor más joven, más experimental. Artnetafrica Sultán, Olivier. Vida en piedra: Escultura de Zimbabwean; nacimiento de una forma de arte contemporánea. Harare: Baobab Books, 1992. x, 86pp. illus. NB1096.6.R5S95 1992 AFA. OCLC 27981056. El sultán ha organizado exposiciones de la escultura de piedra de Zimbabwe en Harare y en París; él ve su papel sin apología como promotor del arte y es absolutamente afilado traer este trabajo a las audiencias europeas. Este libro sirve su meta. Su audiencia es uno de los no especialistas, que desean un confiable, introducción exacta al tema y está dispuesta a pasar más que algunos minutos que hojean a través de las fotografías (aunque su libro se abarca principalmente de fotografías). Las fotografías son todas blancas y negros. El sultán discute los orígenes del movimiento del arte y (algo diría, domineering) el papel seminal de McEwen franco, director de la galería entonces nacional de Rhodesia, en su formación y promoción internacional. Un centro alternativo desarrollado en la granja del tabaco de Tom Blomefield, Tengenenge, y otro centro emergió más adelante en Chapungu de Roy Guthrie. El sultán ve tres fases en la evolución de este movimiento joven: los años debajo del tutelage de McEwen (1957-1973), los años de guerra después de la salida de McEwen (1973-1980), y la era de la poste-independencia. Él dedica menos atención al período reciente. Él destaca el trabajo de quince escultores: Juan Takawira, Henrio Munyaradzi, Nicholas Mukomberanwa, Bernard Takawira, Tapfuma Gutsa, Lazarus Takawira, José Ndandarika, Bernard Matemera, Fanizani Akuda, Brighton Sango, Joram Mariga, Norbert Shamuyarira, Sylvester Mubayi, Richard Gato, y Eddie Masaya. Repasado por Janet L. Stanley en el expediente que publica del libro africano (Oxford) 19 (4): 229, 1993; por Johnston A.K. Njoku en África hoy (Denver) 41 (2): 98-99, 1994; por Stephen Williams en África hoy (Denver) 41 (2): 100-101, 1994; por Carlo Magee-Curtis en los artes africanos (Los Ángeles) 27 (3): 24, julio de 1994. Artnetafrica Piedras que hablan/una producción de la televisión de Granada para ITV; narrado por Juan Bowe; producido y dirigido por Bulley Tony. 60 minutos. Cinta video. VHS. sd., color, título del pulg. del ½ en la cubierta: Zimbabwe: piedras que hablan. Distribuido por Films para la humanidad y las ciencias sociales, caja 2053, Princeton, NJ 08543-2053 del P.O. vídeo 000228 AFA. OCLC 28287035. Una mirada en el movimiento de piedra de la escultura de Shona y cómo se ha desarrollado. McEwen franco, director de fundación de la escuela del taller en la galería nacional de Rhodes, es claramente el protagonista en esta historia -- presentar en la creación e instrumental en tu desarrollo. Entrevistado con en el final de su vida, McEwen puede mirar detrás con algo del mismo alcohol inflexible que te hizo una figura polémica a través de su vida y carrera en Rhodesia. Hablar piedras también incluye segmentos con Roy Guthrie, del parque de la escultura de Chapunga, Tom Blomefield, granjero-dar vuelta-escultor del tabaco del granuja y fundado de comunidad de la escultura de Tengenenge, y de varias de los artistas, que hablan sobre su trabajo e inspiraciones. Entre ésos entrevistados con está Tapfuma Gutsa, Joram Mariga, limón Moses, Sylvester Mubayi, Nicholas Mukomberanwa, Bernard Takawira, y Lazarus Takawira. La aplicación la comercialización de la escultura de piedra también se trata y cómo afecta ambos artistas establecidos y los copyists que intentan ganar un dólar honesto.
Invierno-Irving, Celia. Escultura de piedra en Zimbabwe: contexto, contenido y forma. Harare: Roblaw Publishers, 1991. xviii, 210pp. illus., bibliog. NB1096.6.R5W78 1991 AFA. OCLC 26124120. Los escultores de piedra de Zimbabwe han encontrado un publicista capaz y entusiástico en el Invierno-Irving de Celia, un escultor australiano trasplantado y el director anterior de la galería, que ha tomado la causa de este “movimiento de cosecha propia” con una intensidad y un vigor que hace que nos incorporamos y que tomamos el aviso. Su entusiasmo sincero viene a través claramente en estas páginas como ella trata los orígenes de la escultura, de sus calidades formales y de la relación a otras tradiciones sculptural en África y a otra parte, los orígenes culturales del tema de la escultura (que rechaza la denominación “escultura de Shona”), el papel seminal de McEwen franco y de la galería nacional de Zimbabwe, y las contribuciones de la comunidad de la escultura de Tengenenge. Un capítulo largo turned over a los artistas para expresar sus propias opiniones de su arte. De acuerdo con entrevistas, perfilan a veintitrés escultores, seleccionado probablemente como representación de algo el del mejor y más brillante (no todos son sin embargo nombres de la casa). Incluido ser: Sanwell Chirume, Barankinya Gosta, Tapfuma Gutsa, Makina Kameya, Wazi Maicolo, Amali Mailolo, Damien Manuhwa, Josia Manzi, Joram Mariga, Moses Masaya, Bernard Matemera, Richard Mteki, Thomas Mukarombwa, Nicholas Mukomberanwa, José Muli, Henrio Munyaradzi, José Ndandarika, Locardia Ndandarika, Agnes Nyanhongo, Brighton Sango, Bernard Takawira, Juan Takawira, y Lazarus Takawira. Por fondo profundo, el Invierno-Irving ofrece algunas opiniónes sobre el pasado cultural y artístico de Zimbabwe -- Gran Zimbabwe y el San oscilan arte. Delantero móvil a tiempo, ella considera después el impacto colonial en los artes visuales en Zimbabwe, entonces artes contemporáneos con excepción de la escultura de piedra. Finalmente, ella aborda la cuestión espinosa de la calidad y de su poste opuesto: sobre-comercialización del arte. El patrocinio privado, extranjero y corporativo del patrocinio y del gobierno es todos los elementos dominantes en esta discusión. Todo en todos, la escultura de piedra en Zimbabwe es probablemente el libro más útil para comenzar un estudio del tema.
Invierno-Irving, Celia. Escultura de piedra contemporánea en Zimbabwe: contexto, contenido y forma. Tortola, BVI: Artesano House, 1993. 203pp. illus. (pinta. color), bibliog. NB1096.6.R5W78c 1993 AFA. OCLC 28397803. Un formato más pródigo, más grande y una edición mejor ilustrada de la escultura de piedra en Zimbabwe fueron publicados en 1993 por Craftsman House bajo título levemente modificado. El texto es igual. Repasado: “Las piedras de discurso de Zimbabwe,” épocas del Caribe/épocas africanas (Londres) el 29 de junio de 1993, página 16.
Zilberg, Jonatán Leslie. Escultura de piedra de Zimbabwean: la invención de una tradición de Shona/por Jonatán Leslie Zilberg. Disertación de PhD, universidad de Illinois en UrbanaChampaign, 1996. xiv, 332 hojas: illus., mapa, bibliog. (hojas 300323). NB1209.Z55Z5 1996a AFA. OCLC 37149185. Detalles cómo la escultura de piedra de Zimbabwean creativo ha sido concebida en términos de renacimiento “tribal” por el primer director de la galería nacional en Harare, Zimbabwe, McEwen franco de esta tesis. A pesar de la complejidad belying la historia del movimiento, McEwen inició el discurso de la escultura de Shona con el dibujo sobre teorías sobre los renacimientos artísticos desarrollados por el historiador de arte francés Henri Focillon así como las técnicas pedagógicas del diecinueveavo pintor Gustave Moreau del symbolist del siglo. Al hacer eso, McEwen presentó los trabajos creados durante su arrendamiento (1957-1973) como la re-aparición de una tradición antigua de Shona. Él anunció la escultura de Shona como renacimiento cultural que estimularía una vuelta al espiritual en el arte europeo moderno que él interpretó como trivialized desesperado. Con un análisis crítico de sus escrituras, la disertación revela la complejidad incluida en la construcción de una tradición arraigada en conceptualizaciones del essentialist de la pertenencia étnica y de la historia y descendida pesadamente por ideas tempranas del modernist y del symbolist del arte como sagradas. En contraste con la conceptualización extensamente aceptada del McEwen que no ha habido influencias extranjeras en esta tradición, la disertación demuestra influencias africanas con excepción de Shona. Además de revelar estas influencias y los acoplamientos al arte europeo moderno temprano con el papel del inspirational de McEwen, la disertación describe cómo la tradición se liga a los artes británicos y hace el movimiento a mano con vida-trabaja de Canon Edward Paterson, misionario Anglican que entrenó a los primeros escultores de piedra modernos de Zimbabwean. The dissertation situates Shona sculpture in a specific relation to the study of tourist art as Frank McEwen defined it to be the unique historical antithesis of tourist art--or, as he termed it "airport" art. Hence this study details an ongoing debate over the need to differentiate "real" from "fake" Shona sculpture. Beyond problemizing the issue of authenticity, the thesis concludes that while many artists do perceive their works to be expressive of Shona culture, others struggle to transcend the ethnic label so as to be accepted in the modern art world as contemporary international artists in their own right. -- original abstract.
Zimbabwe Heritage (1986: National Gallery of Zimbabwe). Zimbabwe heritage: contemporary visual arts: [commemorative catalogue for the 8th summit of Non-Aligned States, Zimbabwe: National Gallery of Zimbabwe annual exhibition -- Nedlaw contemporary sculpture, Baringa contemporary painting, graphics, ceramics, textiles, and photography, 25 August-28 September 1986]. Harare: [National Gallery of Zimbabwe], 1986. 80pp. illus. (color), bibliog. qN5290.Z55Z71 1986 AFA. OCLC 15095188. This is the first in a new annual exhibition of contemporary Zimbabwean art juried by an international panel; it combines the annual Nedlaw sculpture exhibition, begun in 1981, and the Baringa exhibition which recognizes painting, graphics, ceramics, textiles and photography. The overall grand prize winner for 1986 was sculptor Bernard Matermera. Gillian Wylie, curator at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, introduces the exhibition. Includes color illustrated section and short biographies of the artists.
Zimbabwe Heritage (1987: National Gallery of Zimbabwe). Zimbabwe heritage 1987. Harare: National Gallery of Zimbabwe, 1987. 48pp. illus. (color). qN5290.Z55Z71 1987 AFA. OCLC 17515993. The second comprehensive competition of Zimbabwean art followed the lines of the original 1986 one with two exhibitions in one: the Nedlaw exhibition for sculpture and the Baringa exhibition for painting, graphics, ceramics and textiles. Tapfuma Gutsa won the Nedlaw with his smoldering grass engulfing a wood bird, which turned into a performance piece. Berry Bickle won the Baringa competition for his mixed media work. Elimo Njau, one of the panel of jurors, makes some overall comments on the strengths and weaknesses of "Zimbabwe Heritage" 1987.
Zimbabwe Heritage (1988: National Gallery of Zimbabwe). Zimbabwe Heritage 1988: annual Baringa-Nedlaw exhibition. Harare: National Gallery of Zimbabwe, 1988. 48pp. color illus., ports. qN5290.Z55Z71 1988 AFA. OCLC 19882457. The third annual juried art competition, "Zimbabwe Heritage" awarded prizes in painting/graphics, textiles, ceramics, photography and sculpture. Overall winner was Bernard Takawira. Nedlaw award for best sculptural work went to July Nyengera. The Baringa prize for best painting, graphics, ceramics, textiles or photography went to painter Bert Hermsteed. The competition, organized by the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, fields a growing number of artists each year. Awards of merit and highly commended works are illustrated in color. Very brief biographies of the artists are included.
Zimbabwe Heritage (1989: National Gallery of Zimbabwe). Zimbabwe Heritage 1989: Baringa/Nedlaw annual exhibition of contemporary visual arts: National Gallery of Zimbabwe; [exhibition held October 1989]. Harare: National Gallery of Zimbabwe, 1989. 60pp. illus. (pt. color), ports. qN5290.Z55Z71 1989 AFA. OCLC 21400145. The fourth annual juried art competition, "Zimbabwe Heritage," awarded prizes in painting/graphics, textiles, ceramics, photography and sculpture. Sculptor Nicholas Mukomberanwa received the top award. The Nedlaw awards for outstanding sculpture went to three sculptors: Nicholas Mukomberanwa (again), Bernard Takawira (last year's grand prize winner), and metal sculptor Paul Machowani. The Baringa award went to an outsider, Fidgie Ngombe, a painter of promise, who has come up the hard way. Organized by the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, the competition fields a growing number of artists each year; in 1989 alone, there were 548 works submitted with sculpture being the largest category. Awards of merit and highly commended works are illustrated in color. Very brief biographies of the artists are included. Some of the 1989 entries were to be re-exhibited in Auckland, New Zealand, at the Commonwealth Games, January 1990.
Zimbabwe Heritage (1990: National Gallery of Zimbabwe). Zimbabwe Heritage 1990: Mobile Oil Zimbabwe annual exhibition of contemporary visual arts: National Gallery of Art Zimbabwe; [exhibition, October 1990]. [Harare]: National Gallery of Zimbabwe, 1990. 60pp. illus. (pt. color), ports. N5290.Z55Z71 1990 AFA. OCLC 26118015. This was the fifth "Zimbabwe Heritage" exhibition, now a well established annual event in Harare. The international panel of judges selected more than four hundred works from among those submitted. Although the category of stone sculpture still predominates, other areas, such as painting and textiles, show increased vitality and creativity. In addition to awards by medium, the judges also honored young artists of promise and women artists (trained and self-taught). The top award in 1990 went to painter Helen Lieros. The works of winners are reproduced in color in this catalog, and short biographies of all the artists are given. Exhibition reviewed by Celia Winter-Irving, "Zimbabwe Heritage 1990 annual exhibition of contemporary visual arts," Artist (Harare) 1 (9): 4-5, November/December 1990.
Zimbabwe Heritage (1991: National Gallery of Zimbabwe). Zimbabwe Heritage 91: commemorative catalogue. [Harare]: National Gallery of Zimbabwe, 1991. 64pp. illus. (pt. color). N5290.Z55Z71z 1991 AFA. OCLC 25769391. The sixth "Zimbabwe Heritage" exhibition introduced a new feature: invited artists. In addition to the open competition, five recognized and established artists were invited to show works. They included painters Berry Bickle and Helen Lieros and sculptors Bernard Matemera, Bernard Takawira and Agnes Nyanhongo. Grand prize winner in 1991 was Nicholas Mukomberanwa. Further awards were made in each of the media categories and others were given for outstanding women artists and young artists. Artists' biographies are included.
Zimbabwe Heritage (1992: National Gallery of Zimbabwe). Zimbabwe Heritage 1992: annual exhibition of contemporary visual arts sponsored by Mobil: National Gallery of Zimbabwe; [exhibition, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Harare, October 1991-October 1992]. [Harare]: National Gallery of Zimbabwe, 1992. 56pp. illus. (pt. color). N5290.Z55Z71 1992 AFA. OCLC 27916976. "Zimbabwe Heritage" for 1992 continued the feature introduced in 1991 of inviting artists of distinction to exhibit alongside the competitors. This year's invitees each represented different media: Babette Fitzgerald ("textilist"), Never Kayowa (painter), Nicholas Mukomberanwa (sculptor), Linos Mushambi (graphics), and Estelle Zimi (ceramicist). The grand prize winner was Bernard Takawira and the top two director's awards went to Rashid Jogee and Steven Williams. The works of these and other award winners in the media categories are illustrated.
Zimbabwe Heritage (1993: National Gallery of Zimbabwe). Zimbabwe Heritage 1993: annual exhibition of contemporary visual arts sponsored by Mobil: National Gallery of Zimbabwe; [exhibition, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Harare, November 1993-1994]. [Harare]: National Gallery of Zimbabwe, 1993. 47pp. illus. (pt. color). qN5290.Z55Z71 1993 AFA. OCLC 31926253. The eighth "Zimbabwe Heritage" exhibition with its ever more complex array of "invited," "selected," "award-winning," and "highly commended" artists remains a good barometer of the national art scene. In the 1993 exhibition, there were 307 entries, representing a cross section of established and emerging artists. Stone sculpture continues to dominate the field, but the painting, graphics, and metal sculpture sections show more innovation. Among those singled out for awards of distinction were Luis Meque (painting), Kier Turner (graphics), Gladman Zinyeka (stone sculpture) and Martin Mushonga (metal sculpture). The president's award of honor in 1993 went to invited artist Nicholas Mukumberanwa.
Zimbabwe Heritage (1994: National Gallery of Zimbabwe). Zimbabwe Heritage 1994: annual exhibition of contemporary visual arts sponsored by Mobil: National Gallery of Zimbabwe; [exhibition, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Harare, October 1994-January 1995]. [Harare]: National Gallery of Zimbabwe, 1994. 47pp. illus. (pt. color). qN5290.Z55Z71 1994 AFA. OCLC 32767098. The ninth annual "Zimbabwe Heritage" exhibition was smaller than in previous years -- 258 entries -- but equally dynamic and diverse. The president's award of honor went to Bulawayo sculptor Adam Madebe, and the honored artist was the venerable Thomas Mukarombwa (aka Thomas Mu). Some new names emerged in the awards of distinction: Fasoni Sibanda (painting), Mary Davies (graphics), Sure Try Katinhimure (stone sculpture), and Tapiwa Vambe (metal sculpture).
Zimbabwe Heritage (1996 : National Gallery of Zimbabwe). Zimbabwe Heritage 96: annual exhibition of contemporary visual arts; [November 1995-November 1996] / National Gallery of Zimbabwe, [sponsored by Mobil, AAC]. [Harare]: National Gallery of Zimbabwe, 1996. 43pp. chiefly color illus., portraits. N5290.Z55Z71 1996 AFA. OCLC 38075001. The eleventh annual "Zimbabwe Heritage" exhibition seemed more selective than in previous years -- only 226 entries in paintings and graphics, textiles, ceramics, photography, and sculpture from just over one hundred artists. The president's award of honor went to the venerable Bernard Matemera; other awards of distinction and merit went to Ishmael Wilfred, Shepherd Mahufe, Joseph Muzonda, Godfrey Machinjiei, Martin Kafara, and Anderson Mukomberanwa. Their works and those of lesser award winners are illustrated in color. Biodata is included for all artists.
Zimbabwe Heritage (2000 : National Gallery of Zimbabwe). Mobile Zimbabwe Heritage Biennale 2000. Harare: National Gallery of Zimbabwe, 2000. 32pp. illus. (color). N5290.Z55Z71 2000 AFA. OCLC 49535078. More than 130 works were entered in Zimbabwe Heritage 2000 with the top award going to Morgan Musorowembudzi for his sculpture "Mugudu Riding." As in past biennales, sculpture and painting/graphics predominated, but there were a few entries of ceramics, textiles, and photography. In the sculpture category, scrap metal works outnumbered the usually prevalent stone sculpture for which Zimbabwe is famous. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Zimbabwe, Skulpturen 1986-1988 ; [exhibition held at the Forum für Kulturaustausch in Stuttgart] / [text by Hermann Pollig and Monika Winkler]. Stuttgart: Institut fur Auslandsbeziehungen, [1988]. 86pp. illus. (pt. color), bibliog. NB1209.Z55Z56 1989X AFA. OCLC 21375011. The Zimbabwe stone sculpture movement continues to gather new practitioners, but is a young enough tradition that some of the original artists are still quite active. The recent work of established artists, such as Bernard Takawira, Henry Munyaradzi, and Bernard Matemera, are featured in this exhibition alongside that of a younger generation of artists; seventy works in all are illustrated. In the catalog essay, Harrie Leyten recounts the
history and evolution of this stone carving tradition; its very
commercial success carries the risk of attracting imitators and
"airport artists." The two major centers of Zimbabwe stone
sculpture -- the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Harare (originally
under Frank McEwen and now the B.A.T. School) and Tengenenge Farm
(Tom Blomefield) -- have evolved on parallel yet distinct lines.
A clue to the future of this tradition is offered in the work of
Stanford Dereres, whose choice of political themes and use of new
combinations of materials, suggest a departure from the usual repertoire
of animal, human and mythological forms. Zimbabwean/Rhodesian Teak furniture Cecil John Rhodes' dream of a Cape to Cairo rail link spawned Southern Africa's earliest railway lines in the late 1800's. The tracks were supported by indigenous hardwood sleepers that have weathered for a century under the scorching African sun and torrential rain - soaking up the very essence of Africa. These sleepers, now obselete, are being recovered and once stripped of their scarred outer crust, glow with the warmth and richness of Africa's poignant history. Of these hardwoods, indigenous Teak (Baikiaea Plurijuga) with its fine weathering and warm tones, provides the most exquisite recycled medium. These items are hand fashioned from these sleepers into individual pieces of furniture unique in their design and enduring beauty.
|
Mozambique
Alpers, Edward A. "Representation and historical consciousness in the art of modern Mozambique," Canadian journal of African studies (Ottawa) 22 (1): 73-94, 1988. illus., notes, bibliog. French abstract, page 73. Reprinted in Art et politiques en Afrique noire = Art and politics in Black Africa. Ottawa: Canadian Association of African Studies, 1989. N7391.65.A785 1989 AFA. OCLC 20260907. The artists of the colonial period in Mozambique shared an historical consciousness, which is expressed unequivocally in their art. Symbols of colonial domination and the superior even mystical power attributed to Europeans are reflected in art forms, such as the Makonde mapico (mapiko) masquerade or machinamu ancestor figures. Social commentary was understandably less evident in the early Makonde sculptures sold to the Europeans, but it was not wholly absent. Among the Makonde sculptors who moved to Tanzania, there is a greater artistic freedom in representing oppression or satirizing Europeans. The emergence of a national culture of resistance among artists in Lourenço Marques (now Maputo) from the 1950s is an even clearer expression of historical consciousness. Malangatana is the dominating figure of this modern group of artists. His paintings and the later sculptures of Albert Chissano became powerful symbols of resistance to the increasingly radicalized intelligencia during the last years of colonial rule. The painter Inàcio Matsinhe was another voice of resistance, though from exile in Lisbon. In the period after independence in 1975, the new government encouraged revolutionary art, an official popular art, now seen as supporting the transformation of the society. Artnetafrica Descoberta: Concurso Nacional de Artes Plásticas, setembro de 1995, Maputo, Moçambique. [Maputo: Casa da Cultura do Alto-Mae, 1995]. 66pp. illus. (color). qN7397.M6D47 1995 AFA. OCLC 40520179. The initiative of the Casa da Cultura do Alto Mae in Maputo to organize a national art exhibition was a welcome opportunity to expose a wide range of talented artists. Around one hundred artists were selected and are each represented in this catalog with one or two works and brief biographical information. Malangatana and Albert Chissano, the best known Mozambican artists, lead off, but the majority belong to the younger generation -- born in the 1960s and 1970s. Painting predominates, but there are also wood sculptures and prints.
Images of a revolution: mural art in Mozambique / text by Albie Sachs; photographs by Moira Forjas and Susan Maiselas. Harare: Zimbabwe Publishing House, 1983. [88]pp. chiefly illus. (color). ND2866.6.M614 1983X AFA. OCLC 10779814. The murals of Maputo flowed from the hands of many painters, some amateur volunteers, a few, skilled professionals, like Malagantana and Mankeu. Following independence in 1975, these murals began appearing on walls of Maputo buildings. Although not planned projects, people's art of this sort is encouraged by the FRELIMO government. One of the most dramatic is that at Heroes' Circle, a mural ninety-five meters long and six meters high. The color photographs in this slim book show details and sections of some of these urban murals. Artnetafrica Mozambico: arte di un popolo ; exhibition held at the Palazzo Venezia, Rome, September 25-October 8, 1986 / curated by Egidio Cossa. Roma: Palazzo Venezia, 1986. 86pp., 9pp. of plates. illus. (pt. color), bibliogs. N7397.6.M6M93 1986 AFA. OCLC 17056614. In a major exposition of art from Mozambique, these photographs and essays feature both old and new Makonde masks and figures; a separate section of color reproductions of works by modern Mozambican painters (Malangatana, Chissano and others). Artnetafrica 9 [nove] artistas de Moçambique ; [exhibition, Expo `92, Universal Exposition, Seville, 1992] / text by Rhandzarte. Maputo: Museu Nacional de Arte de Moçambique, 1992. 1 volume [unpaged]. illus. (color). Text in Portuguese and English. ND1097.6.M6N93 1992 AFA. OCLC 3057928. Mozambique was a hotbed of artistic activity in the years following independence in 1975, particularly at the Centro de Estudos Culturais in Maputo. The center attracted many aspiring artists, not all of whom survived the artistic test of time, nor succeeded in moving beyond imitating the two luminaries: Malangatana in painting and Alberto Chissano in sculpture. But a number were able to succeed to the extent of making a living from their art. Because Mozambican artists did not depend on foreign patronage, and because they shared the experiences of war and political struggle, one might argue that a national identity, even a national style, evolved. According to Rhandzarte, there is a certain "Mozambicanicity" -- not isolating and provincial, but affirmative and distinctive. The nine selected to represent Mozambique at Expo `92 were: Bertina Lopes, Roberto Chichorro, Alberto Chissano, Estevão Mucavele, Malangatana, Naguib, Rafael Nkatunga, Samata Mulungo, and Victor Sousa -- two sculptors and seven painters. Several works of each are illustrated.
Salström, Berit and António Sopa. Catálogo, cartazes: catalogue, posters. [Maputo]: Arquivo Historico de Mocambique, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, [1988]. 112pp. illus. (pt. color). Text in Portuguese and English. qNC1807.M85S17 1988 AFA. OCLC 23120042. The art of the poster has a lively and active history in the Mozambican revolution both before and after independence. As in other socialist countries, posters are used as vehicles for rallying and mobilizing the masses. But the posters in the collection of the Arquivo Historico in Maputo go beyond the usual didactic and political themes of struggle and solidarity; they include posters with cultural and educational themes. Some of Mozambique's artists have turned their hands to creating posters. See also the Tanzania section below for references on Makonde sculpture. --------------------------- National Art Gallery of Namibia. Art in Namibia: National Art Gallery of Namibia / Adelheid Lilienthal; with contributions by Annaleen Eins and Jo Rogge. [Windhoek]: The Gallery, c1997. xiv, 242pp. illus. (pt. color), map, bibliog. (pp. 223-224). N3885.W54A54 1997X AFA. OCLC 38731937. The National Art Gallery of Namibia (NAGN) is a private initiative begun in 1965 with the establishment of a permanent collection. It grew out of the Namibian Arts Association (formed in 1947), which is devoted to promoting all the arts. Since independence in 1990, the activities and programs of the NAGN have broadened considerably to reflect the breadth and possibilities of art in Namibia, which previously had been in all-white affair. The organization of the catalog Art in Namibia mirrors this transition from colonial state to independent nation. One whole section is devoted to landscape and wildlife art, a genre which predominated in earlier decades of this century and still forms a sub-stratum of Namibian art. "Traditional Transitions" brings in indigenous craft art of the ethnographie variety -- basketry, pottery, woodwork, personal ornaments and the like. But the major section showcases "Contemporary Artists," where white artists still predominate, but younger black artists are well represented. Three significant new initiatives which are injecting vigor and dynamism into the Namibian art scene are the Standard Bank Namibia Biennale, the Tulipamwe International Artists' Workshop, and the John Muafangejo Art Centre. Appendices to Art in Namibia include a chronology of the history of the Namibian Arts Association and the NAGN; listings of art education centers, funders and sponsors, teachers and mentors; artists represented in the permanent collection of NAGN; and museums in Namibia. A short chapter on rock art in Namibia is also included. Annaleen Eins, Curator of NAGN, introduces the volume. -------------------------
|
South
Africa
Alexander, Lucy and Evelyn Cohen. 150 South African paintings: past and present. Cape Town: Struikhof, 1990. 180pp. illus. (color), bibliog. glossary. ND1092.A376 1990 AFA. OCLC 22721516. "What is a South African artist?" is the opening question posed by the authors. This is neither the first nor the last time that that question arises in South Africa, but Alexander and Cohen offer their own definition. Elements of European painting traditions, such as the sublime or the picturesque, are found in early South African painting. The uniquely South African landscape -- Table Mountain, the Karoo, the highveld -- features prominently. The quest to portray black people in traditional clothing and settings is another recurring theme defining South African painting. The nationalistic art movement in the interwar years was replaced by self-conscious moves away from what came to be seen as provincialism. For many white artists, European art training and travels shaped their interpretation of the South African experience. In recent times, the painters' quest for a South African identity has intensified. And indeed the nature of South African painting has shifted and broadened, as more and more black artists entered the arena. Opening this panorama of painting with a tribute to the original South African painters, the San rock artists, the viewer is quickly brought forward several millenia to Francois Le Vaillant in the eighteenth century. The selection of 150 paintings by Alexander and Cohen, though inevitably subjective, does try to present a healthy cross section of South African canvasses right up to the present. For each color plate, they give some background on the artist and some commentary on the work itself. Most of the paintings illustrated are from public South African collections. Glossary. Reviewed by Amanda Jephson, "Paint and popular texture: making South African art accessible," ADA: art, design, architecture (Cape Town) no. 9: 58, 1990/1991. Artnetafrica Ardmore: an African discovery / by Gillian Scott; photographs by Anthony Bannister and Kathleen Comfort. Vlaeberg, South Africa: Fernwood Press, 1998. 79pp. Illus. (color). NK4210.A684S38 1998X AFA. OCLC 41618272. Ardmore Ceramic Art Studio in rural KwaZulu-Natal was established by ceramicist Fée Halsted-Berning in 1985. Her studio assistant Bonnie Ntshalintshali, born in 1967, soon became her artistic partner, and in 1990 the two shared the Standard Bank Young Artist Award. Ntshalintshali became the star of Ardmore with her fanciful, colorful glazed ceramic sculptures, which are showcased in this book. In 1993, she exhibited work in the Venice Biennale. Success led to the expansion of Ardmore, which now engages several dozen ceramicists both men and women, who make highly decorated functional ceramic ware as well as sculptures. The history and growth of Ardmore are documented in this well-illustrated book. Ntshalintshali died of AIDS in 1999 after this book was published. Artnetafrica Arnold, Marion I. Women and art in South Africa. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1996; Cape Town: David Philip, 1996. x, 186pp. illus. (pt. color), bibliog. (pp. 178183). N7392.A77 1996X AFA. OCLC 35318603. Feminist perspectives are long overdue in South African art history. The histories of women artists need to be retrieved, and the meanings behind images of women need to be revealed. In a series of essays, Arnold tackles these gender-based topics, first examining pre-twentieth century women artists and the depictions of women in South Africa by artists of both genders. Landscape painting and botanical art, areas that attracted women artists, are discussed in separate essays. "Portrait of servitude" examines depictions of women as servants. The painter Irma Stern (1894-1966) is the focus of another esay, and women's self-portraits, yet another -- with reference to Maggie Laubser (1884-1973), Maud Sumner (1902-1985), and Dorothy Kay (1886-1964). Moving to the more recent period, Arnold critiques the work of sculptors and their depictions of the body, with particular reference to Wilma Cruise (1945- ) and Jane Alexander (1959- ). Feminist perspectives overflow in a final essay on modern women artists active in South Africa in the 1980s and 1990s: Penny Siopis (1953- ), Pippa Skotnes (1957- ), Sue Williamson (1941- ), Reshada Crouse (1953- ), Sandra Kriel (1952- ), Helen Sebidi (1943- ), Allina Ndebele (1939- ), Noria Mabasa (1938- ), Margaret Vorster (1953- ), and Philippa Hobbs (1955- ).
Art from South Africa . Oxford: Museum of Modern Art: London: distributed by Thames and Hudson, 1990. 95pp. illus. (pt. color). N7392.A784 1990 AFA. OCLC 23088898. "Art from South Africa," the exhibition organized by the Museum of Modern Art, Oxford, kicked up a dust storm of controversy even before it opened in June 1990. This was not unexpected, as shown by some of the essays in the catalog. It brought onto a new stage some of the debates that had been raging already in South Africa. Controversies about the role of art in the political struggle, cultural appropriation, pluralism and domination, "transitional" art, all dealt with in essays in this catalog, remain unresolved. The exhibition attempted to be non-racial, showing works by artists from South Africa's different communities. Sixty-four artists are represented. The show later traveled "home" to South Africa. Exhibition reviewed by John Picton in African arts (Los Angeles) 24 (3): 83-86, July 1991; by Pat Williams, "A hard-won place in the sun," Independent (South Africa) February 24, 1991, page 16; by Neville Dubow, "A picture of SA's polyglot art," Weekly mail (Johannesburg) July 3-6, 1992, page 22. Artnetafrica Berman, Esmé. Art & artists of South Africa: an illustrated biographical dictionary and historical survey of painters, sculptors and graphic artists since 1875. New enlarged edition. Cape Town: A. A. Balkema, 1983. xviii, 545pp. illus. (pt. color), bibliog. N7392.B47 1983X AFA. OCLC 11031114. Berman's dictionary of South African art, first published in 1970, has become the standard reference book on the subject, though like any reference book, it will become dated and stand as an historical marker. The vast majority of artists, art movements, organizations, training centers treated by Berman refer to the white art establishment, although not exclusively so by any means. Entries for individual artists who merit consideration include basic biographical data, list of major exhibitions and public collections, and a summary of the artist's life and work, with illustrations. Appendices cover chronology of major exhibitions with participating artists and a list of South African artists exhibiting professionally since 1900. Artnetafrica Berman, Esmé. Painting in South Africa. Johannesburg: Southern Book Publishers, 1993. xxiv, 395pp., 99pp. of color plates. illus. (pt. color). ND1092.B49 1993 AFA. OCLC 31200286. Painting in South Africa is a radically revised and repackaged version of Berman's 1975 The story of South African painting. It remains, as Berman states, a survey and "an outline of the sources, sequences and developments that have been significant [in South African painting], and a glimpse of the most prominent and influential careers and styles" (author's preface). The story begins in the nineteenth century and is carried forward chronologically to the present, told within the local South African context but related also to international movements and trends. White painters predominate, as painting was their preserve until recent decades. South African reality is accurately mirrored here, but a fair balance is struck in portraying latter-day developments. Certain painters are singled out along the way for their particular contributions, a roll call of major players. Among them: Hugo Naudé, J. H. Pierneef, Maggie Laubser, Irma Stern, Gregoire Boonzaier, Gerard Sekoto, Jean Welz, Walter Battiss, Alexis Preller, Larry Scully, Cecil Skotnes, Cecily Sash, Louis Khehla Maqhubela, William Kentridge, Malcolm Payne, Penelope Siopis, Karel Nel, Helen Sebidi, and Norman Catherine.
Botschaften aus Südafrika: Kunst und künstlerische Produktion schwarzer Künstler / text by Minika Stötzel; foreword by Josef Franz Thiel. Frankfurt am Main: Museum für Völkerkunde, 1987. 156pp. illus. (Roter Faden zur Ausstellung, 11). N7392.B74 1987 AFA. OCLC 22436326. The Museum für Völkerkunde in Frankfurt has in recent years shown a commitment to collecting and exhibiting modern art from outside Europe. This 1987 show which focused on art from South Africa, mainly from the 1970s and 1980s, included works by Hamilton Budaza, Peter Clarke, Smart Gumede, Austin Hleza, David Koloane, Billy Mandindi, Kagiso Mauthoa, Azaria Mbatha, Derrick Mdanda, P. David Mogano, George Msimango, Sam Nhlengethwa, Dan Rakgoathe, Sydney Selepe, Cyprian Shilakoe, Lucky Sibiya, Durant Sihlali, Tanki and Ephraim Ziqubu. Two other artists are showcased separately: Namibian John Muafangejo and South African Vuminkosi Zulu. In her text, Stötzel tries to place these artists and their work within the context of contemporary South Africa.
Brooklyn Museum and Brooklyn Public Library. Black South African contemporary graphics; [exhibition held March 25-May 16, 1976] / introduction by Sylvia Williams. New York: Brooklyn Museum and Brooklyn Public Library, 1976. 64pp. illus., bibliog. NE788.6.S6B87 AFA. OCLC 3479561. Featured artists in this 1976 Brooklyn exhibition included Azaria Mbatha, Eric Mbatha, John Muafangejo, Dan Rakgoathe, Cyprian Shilakoe, Vuminkosi Zulu, Judes Mahlangu, Linda Nolutshungu and Caiphas Nxumalo. All were trained or worked at Rorke's Drift Art and Craft Center, well known for graphic arts instruction. The fifty-eight works illustrated are linocuts and etchings. Williams categorizes five themes in this group of graphics: love, birth, maturation and sexual consciousness; social protest of the human condition; psychological states -- the power of fear, silence, lonliness and despair; death; and hope for regeneration.
Cape Town Triennial (1982). Cape Town Triennial 1982 = Kaapstadse Trienniale 1982. [Cape Town]: Rembrandy van Rijn Art Foundation, [1982]. [24]pp. illus. (pt. color). Text in English and Afrikaans. N7392.C23 1982 AFA. OCLC 31418432. The Cape Town Triennial is intended "to bring together the best contemporary art being produced" in South Africa. Sixty-nine artists were represented at this first Cape Town Triennial; they are selected by local panels of judges from five regional centers: Cape Town, Pretoria, Durban, Port Elizabeth and Kimberley. The gold medal went to Karel Nel; the silver, to Annette Pretorius; and the bronze, to John Clarke. The exhibition was held at the South African National Gallery and other venues in South Africa between September 15, 1982 and November 6, 1983.
Cape Town Triennial (1988). Cape Town Triennial 1988. Cape Town: Rembrandt van Rijn Art Foundation for the Cape Town Triennial, 1988. 75pp. illus. (pt. color). N7392.C23 1988 AFA. OCLC 19256767. The Cape Town Triennial is a nationwide art competition in South Africa whose works go on tour in several exhibitions around the country. This third triennial selected eighty-five works with four winners who were exhibited at the South African National Gallery and other venues in South Africa between September 28, 1988 and January 7, 1990. Although this event is organized and funded by the white art establishment, there were ten black artists represented in 1988: Jackson Hlungwane, Noria Mabasa, Sfiso Mkame, Saint Mokoena, Tommy Motswai, Bonie Ntshalinshali, Derrick Nxumalo, Helen Sebidi, Mashego Segogela, and Tito Zungu.
Cape Town Triennial (1991). Kaapstadse Triënnial 1991 = Cape Town Triennial 1991 / introduction by Elza Miles; foreword by Christopher Till. Cape Town: Kunsstigting Rembrandt van Rijn, [1991]. 115pp. illus. (pt. color). Text in Afrikaans and English. N7392.C23 1991 AFA. OCLC 25328621. The grand winner of the 1991 Cape Town Triennial was William Kentridge, and the three merit awards went to Willie Bester, Sandra Kriel and Russell Scott. They were chosen from a field of 137 artists, whose work made the final cut of six regional panels of jurors. As South Africa's most prestigious national exhibition, the Triennial carries in its wake great interest and controversy alike. Efforts to democratize and broaden the selection and evaluation of artists resulted in a greater diversity than evident in previous Triennials, but one might say that the Triennial itself in is a process of evolution. The selection of regional jurors has also been opened up and given freer reign, as we see by their published comments on the Triennial process. Elza Miles in her introduction highlights some of the outstanding and original art works in the 1991 Triennial. All 147 works in the exhibition are illustrated. Exhibition reviewed by Christopher Till, "Melting pot's diffused focus," New nation (Johannesburg) May 8-14, 1992, page 23; by Judy Kukard, "Works of violence, decay...and hope," Southside (Cape Town) October 10-16, 1991, page 10; by Muffin Stevens, "Divergent art to expand definitions," South African arts calendar = Suid-Afrikaanse kunskalender (Pretoria) 17 (2): 22-23, 1992. See also Marilyn Martin, "Herhalings asook veranderings: Kaapstadse Tríënnale 1991," [Cape Town Triennial, 1991]. South African arts calender = Suid-Afrikaanse kunskalender (Pretoria: South African Association of Arts) 16 (3): 4-5, 1991. For a critique of the skewed historical "package" of national art exhibitions, such as the 1985 "Tributaries" (see below) or the Cape Town Triennials, see T. H. King, "Tributaries and the Triennial: two South African art exhibitions," Critical arts (Johannesburg) 5 (3): 39-57, 1991. King addresses issues of selection criteria for exhibitions, access or lack of access, self-serving publicity and media attention versus real art criticism, and goals of sponsorship.
The collector's guide to art and artists in South Africa: the visual journey into the thoughts, emotions, and minds of 558 artists / compiled by Tai Collard. Claremont, South Africa: Twenty Two Press, South African Institute of Artists and Designers, 1998. 205pp. illus. (color). N7392.C65 1998X AFA. OCLC 44750884. For each of the 558 artists listed in this directory, there is a condensed biography comprised of a brief statement by the artist, a reproduction of one work of art (occasionally more, sometimes none), a minuscule face portrait, birth date, preferred medium, education, group exhibition (very abbreviated), and most usefully, contact information. The majority of artists listed are painters. Only living artists are included. Artists living outside South African are excluded. Coverage is not comprehensive and there are some surprising omissions (e.g., Jane Alexander, David Koloane, Sue Williamson, Sophie Peters, Pippa Skotnes, to name a few). Artnetafrica Colours: Kunst aus Sudafrika / Katalogredaktion, Alfons Hug, Sabine Vogel. Berlin: Haus der Kulturen der Welt: Ars Nicolai, 1996. 190pp. illus. (chiefly color), bibl. refs. Text in German. qN7392.C65 1996 AFA. OCLC 36717722. This large South African art exhibition held at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, May-Aigist 1996, features works of thirty-six artists. The theme of "Colors" (as in "rainbow nation") was a celebration of the New South Africa emerging from apartheid and in the wake of the 1994 transition of power. The exhibition was a European venue for the South African component of the 1995 Johannesburg Biennale, "Africus." The artworks spread across the spectrum -- sculptures, installations, paintings, drawings, photographs, collages, and mixed media. All are illustrated. Biodata on the artists is included. Included in the catalog are eight essays and contributions that provide the background and context: Colours / by Alfons Hug -- Die falsche Farbe / by Sabine Vogel -- Kunst und Kunstlersein in Sudafrika--einst und jetzt: Bongi Dhlomo-Mautloa im Gesprach mit Sabine Vogel -- Bild und Text : Vergangenheit und Zukunft in der sudafriken Kunst / by Andries Walter Oliphant -- Vom Werden : die Kunste des Moglichen / by Jane Taylor -- Die Perversitat meiner Geburt--die Geburt meiner Perversitat -- Kendell Geers -- Koloniale Gedachtniskunst / by Ivor Powell -- Die Regenbogennation--Identitat und Wandel / by Marilyn Martin. Artnetafrica Common and uncommon ground: South African art to Atlanta, April 12-June 7, 1996 / essay by Steven Sack, curator. Atlanta: City Gallery East, 1996. 48pp. illus. (color). N7392.C66 1996 AFA. OCLC 47079471. South African Art to Atlanta was a bridge-building project conceived in 1993 by organizers Susan Woolf in South Africa and Eddie Granderson in Atlanta. Steven Sack, engaged as curator, assembled a multi-faceted exhibition comprised of professional artists, workshops artists, art projects and photo documentation of "People's Parks." The illustrated catalog Common and uncommon ground is the record of this collaborative art venture between the city of Atlanta and South Africa. It includes brief biographies of the artists and one or a few works each. All media are represented – painting, sculpture, mixed media, prints, installations, and photography. Artnetafrica Contemporary South African art: the Gencor collection / edited by Kendell Geers. Johannesburg: Jonathan Ball Publishers, 1997. 168pp. illus. (color), bibliog. (pp. 165-166). N7392.2.C66 1997X AFA. OCLC 37843149. In 1994 the Gencor corporation engaged South African artist and art critic Kendell Geers to develop its corporate collection of modern South African art for its new corporate headquarters in Johannesburg. Rather than acquire a random selection of art works, a central theme was chosen: the transition from the old to the new South Africa. The works acquired and commissioned are decidedly modern and predominantly political in content; most date to the 1980s and 1990s. In this published catalog of the Gencor collection, there are eleven essays by experts on various aspects of modern South African art. Contributors are: Kendall Geers, Lesley Spiro, Mark Pencharz, Elizabeth Rankin, Okwui Enwezor, Colin Richards, Elza Miles, Julia Charlton, Olu Oguibe, Marilyn Martin, and Ashraf Jamal. Reviewed by Anthea Bristowe in Nka: journal of contemporary African art (Ithaca, NY) no. 8: 64, spring-summer 1998. Artnetafrica Cross, cross currents: contemporary art practice in South Africa, an exhibition in two parts; Atkinson Gallery, Millfield School, June to September 2000 / edited by John Picton and Jennifer Law. Street, Somerset, England: Atkinson Gallery, Millfield School, 2000. 120pp. illus. (color), bibliog. (page 60). N7392.C698 2000 AFA. OCLC 46928157. South African art of the last two decades of the twentieth century was spawned by and reflects the final throes of apartheid and the early years of the Rainbow Nation. This transition out of apartheid remains a rocky road despite the euphoria of the birth of the New South Africa in 1994. Nation-building in heterogeneous, democratic South Africa is the backdrop for this large two-part exhibition held in the summer of 2000 in England. Diversity is the operative impulse both for curatorial choices and artistic intent. The artists represented are Bill Ainslie, Beezie Bailey, Deborah Bell, Willie Bester, Willem Boshoff, Breyten Breytenbach, Lisa Brice, Marlene Dumas, Garth Erasmus, Leora Farber, Dumile Feni, Craig Hamilton, Kay Hassan, Jackson Hlungwani, Robert Hodgins, David Koloane, Dumisane Mbabso, Billy Mandindi, Chabane Manganyi, Louis Maqhubela, Johannes Maswanganyi, Kagiso Pat Mauthloa, Walter Meyer, Titus Moteyane, Zwelethu Mthethwa, Karel Nel, Albert Netshidzati, Sam Nhlengethwa, Johannes Phokela, Thabiso Phokompe, Phillip Rikhotso, Claudette Schreuders, Helen Sebidi, Phuthuma (Phatuma) Seoka, Durant Sihlali, Penny Siopis, Paul Tavhana, Dominic Tshabangu, and Sandile Zulu. Included in this catalog are introductory essays by co-curators John Picton and Jennifer Law, and several other short essays by artists, art historians and critics, which together the provide history and context for contemporary South African art. Reviewed (the catalog and the exhibition) by Mario Pissarra, "Cross currents: contemporary art practice in South Africa," Third text: critical perspectives on contemporary art and culture (London) 52: 95-102, autumn 2000. Artnetafrica De Jager, E. J. Art, artist and society: a social-historical perspective on contemporary South African black art. Mafikeng, Bophuthatswana: Institute of African Studies, University of Bophuthatswana, 1990. 31pp. (Solomon Tshekisho Plaatje memorial lecture, 18th October 1990. [not in AFA Library]. OCLC 27337237. Art may be viewed aesthetically through the language of art criticism and art appreciation. Or it may be viewed through the socio-historical perspective of the artists and their society. Both approaches are valid. De Jager elects the latter approach in considering black South African artists and what he calls their "expressive culture." How have the particular historical realities of South Africa -- apartheid, township life -- shaped and defined black artistic expression over the past sixty years? Three phases are apparent in the history of contemporary black art. The early pioneering artists and the few art centers available to blacks (Polly Street, Rorke's Drift) form the history of the period from the 1930s through the 1950s. By the 1960s a new Township Art movement had coalesced to define two more decades. By the 1980s yet a new stage was reached, one still in process of unfolding. The black art scene today in South Africa is witnessing many new, younger artists, including women, the emergence of an informal art sector, artists exploring non-figurative art styles, the growth of "transitional" art, the proliferation of urban mural art, the intensification of protest and resistance art, and the organization of black artists into associations and centers, such as FUBA (Federated Union of Black Artists) or CAP (Community Arts Project) in Cape Town. The chasm between black artists and white artists still exists, but it is being bridged. Artnetafrica De Jager, E. J. Contemporary African art in South Africa. Cape Town: C. Struik, 1973. 31pp., 128 plates. illus. (pt. color), bibliog. N7392.D4X AFA. OCLC 830033. This was the first attempt to publish a substantial book on black South African artists. Although De Jager makes no claims to authority or art scholarship, he clearly felt a calling to begin the process of visual documentation. And this he has accomplished: a first step. In his essay "Contemporary African art in South Africa" (pp. 17-31), he paints the peculiar South African backdrop against which these emerging artists must be seen, and he collectively attributes their artistic style to "humanisitic figurative expressionism." Within this encompassing stylistic category, he explores the content and themes of individual artists, highlighting several of the outstanding exemplars. The main part of the book is given over to illustrations. The majority of the works are from the University of Fort Hare collection. A portion of De Jager's text appeared earlier in the article" Contemporary African art in South Africa," Zeitschrift für Ethnologie (Braunschweig) 96 (heft 2): 137-144, 1971. Reviewed by John Povey in African arts (Los Angeles) 8 (2): 72-73, winter 1975. Artnetafrica De Jager, E. J. "Contemporary African sculpture in South Africa," Fort Hare papers (Fort Hare, South Africa) 6 (6): 421-458, September 1978. illus., bibliog. (p. 456). AS611.G6X AFA. Contemporary black South African artists are part of what de Jager calls "neo-African art," meaning that their art retains the "essence" of traditional art forms but also strikes out in new directions. Black South African sculptors do not have, after all, the great sculptural traditions to draw upon, as do those sculptors from Western and Central Africa. Their art is a humanistic, people-centered art; it also expresses an awareness of urban life. Sculptors work mainly in wood (it is cheap and available), and they draw upon three sources: folklore, Christianity and daily life. Stylistically, their work is characterized as "African Expressionism." De Jager introduces ten sculptors with biographical information and comments on the work of each. They are: Michael Zondi (1926- ), Sydney Kumalo (1935- ), Ezrom Legae (1938- ), Lucas Sithole (1931-1994), Eric Ngcobo (1933-1987), Solomon Sedibane (1933- ), Stanley Nkosi (1945- ), Dumile (1939-1991), Cyprian Shilakoe (1946-1972), and Solomon Maphiri (1945- ). Brief mention is made of the Polly Street Centre and Ndaleni Art School. Twenty works (by some of the above and others) are illustrated. Artnetafrica De Jager, E. J. Images of man: contemporary South African black art and artists. Alice, Republic of Ciskei: Fort Hare University Press in association with the Fort Hare Foundation, 1992. [14], 220pp. illus. (pt. color), bibliog. N7392.D32 1992 AFA. OCLC 26617819. The University of Fort Hare began collecting contemporary art of black South African artists in 1964, and consequently has one of the finest and most comprehensive collections of its kind in South Africa or anywhere. Using works from that collection, De Jager surveys twentieth-century black South African artists, according to a mixed schema of chronology, schools and movements, and media. All of the major artists are represented along with some less well-known ones. There are chapters on the five pioneer painters, on the township art movement, on Rorke's Drift, and on the sculptors. The art works are reproduced in color. Artnetafrica A directory of South African contemporary art. volume 1: Painting 1997/1998 / introduction by Benita Munitz. Stanford, South Africa: Contemporary Arts Publishers in association with Africus Institute for Contemporary Art, 1997. 170, [42]pp. illus. (color). N55.S6D574 AFA. OCLC 39244637. This directory of South African painters includes those who could pay for space or get sponsors to do so. As such, it is limited primarily to white South Africans. The impetus behind the publication of this directory (the first of three planned volumes) is that artists should take the initiative to promote themselves and not rely on the vagaries of the art market and chance contacts. It is also propelled by a desire on the part of many of those represented to be liberated from the stranglehold of de rigeur political art. There are, after all, South African artists doing non-political art. Also included are gallery ads, a select listing of galleries, artists' studios and other art-related businesses, and an address list of South African painters. Artnetafrica Echoes of African art: a century of art in South Africa / compiled and introduced by Matsemela Manaka; foreword by Eskia Mphahlele. Braamfontein: Skotaville, 1987. 111pp. chiefly illus. (pt. color) (Skotaville graphic series, no. 2). qN7392.E18 1987 AFA. OCLC 17634113. Although Manaka covers traditional South African art, his main interest in this work is the documentation of contemporary sculptors, painters and graphic artists. Chiefly illustrated, it contains many new and lesser known artists (as well as some of the older ones, such as Sekoto, Sithole, Dumile and Bhengu) who are working in the 1980s and who are strongly shaped by Black Consciousness. South African artists in exile are the most overtly political in their work. The sculptors work more frequently in wood or clay than in metal because of availability and cost. Painters and graphic artists are found more often in the urban areas ("township art") and are more clearly Western-influenced than rural artists. Reviewed by Brenda Danilowitz in African arts (Los Angeles) 21 (4): 84-85, August 1988; by Jacques Alvarez-Pereyre in Third world quarterly (London) 11 (3): 263-266, 1988; by Anitra Nettleton in South African journal of cultural and art history (Pretoria) 3 (3): 287-290, July 1989; by Andries Walter Oliphant in Staffrider (Braamfontein) 7 (1): 92-96, 1988; by Frieda Harmsen in South African journal of cultural and art history (Pretoria) 3 (3): 284-286, July 1989; by Amanda Jephson and Nicolaas Vergunst, "Imijondolo: black and white in gold," ADA: art, design, architecture (Cape Town) no. 6: 46, [1988]; by J. L. F. in Africana news and notes (Johannesburg) 28 (6): 245, June 1989. Artnetafrica Grundy, Kenneth W. "Cultural policy in South Africa: an inconclusive transformation," African studies review (Atlanta) 39 (1): 1-24, April 1996. bibliog. (pp. 23-24). DT1.A1A26 AFA. OCLC 01461411. Includes discussion of the struggle of South African artists, cultural workers, and the art establishment during the transition from the apartheid to the post-apartheid periods. Also includes discussion of the African National Congress' Department of Arts and Culture, the Albie Sachs controversy, the National Arts Coalition, and other art groups.
Hobbs, Philippa and Elizabeth Rankin. Printmaking in a transforming South Africa. Cape Town: David Philip, 1997. ix, 204pp. illus. (pt. color), bibliog. (pp. 126-127). NE788.S6H62 1997X AFA. OCLC 38238931. Printmaking in South Africa has been a medium of choice for artists across the color line. It serves those who lack access to well-equipped studios (usually black artists) as well as those who are better placed. Printmaking, however, has been overshadowed by painting and other fine arts media. This book by printmaker Hobbs and art historian Rankin is meant to redress this imbalance. Their approach is by print technique: relief, intaglio, planographic, stencil, mixed media and computer-generated. They highlight artists who are exploring each technique. The seventy-eight prints illustrated are all recent work, mainly from the 1990s, so this is not an historical look at South African printmaking. Includes "Register of South African printmakers" (pp. 128-137).
Huntley, Merle. Art in outline. volume 1: An introduction to South African art. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992. 182pp. illus. (pt. color), bibl. refs. N278.6.S6H95 1992 AFA. OCLC 30093004. Learning how to appreciate art can be fun, as this lively textbook sets out to show. The context is South African art with much emphasis on the recent periods. Modern Western-style art fills two central chapters of Huntley's book: "Western art comes to southern Africa" and "The melting pot," in which she weaves a swift-flowing, never dull narrative of art trends, influences, and artistic intention. Many artists are brought into the well-illustrated discussion. Other sections of the book deal with older art traditions, including Eastern art influences, and architecture. Reviewed by Frieda Harmsen in De arte (Pretoria) no. 47: 41-43, April 1993.
Images of defiance: South African resistance posters of the 1980's / the Poster Book Collective, South African History Archive. Johannesburg: Raven Press, 1991. ix, 181pp. chiefly illus. (color). DT1963.I46 1991X AFA. OCLC 26188033. Posters have been very much part of the struggle in South Africa. Even publishing this poster book, which documents some of those produced under the broad umbrella of the ANC, would have been impossible a few years ago. Community, even underground, workshops provided venues for the cultural workers, who made the posters in less than ideal circumstances. See especially the introductory essay "Making posters in South Africa" (pp. 2-9). From exile in Botswana, the Medu Art Ensemble also created posters for distribution within South Africa. The collection on which this book is based is that of the South African History Archive (SAHA). Through their foresight in collecting these posters, an important cultural-artistic component of the struggle against apartheid has been preserved. The 320 posters illustrated here in color are a selection from the two thousand owned by SAHA; they are presented in six broad categories by theme: politics, labor, community, education, militarization & repression, and culture.
Incroci del sud: arte contemporanea del Sudafrica: mostra collaterale con il patrocinio della XLV Biennale di Venezia 1993, giugno-dicembre 1993 = Affinities: contemporary South African art: collateral exhibition under the patronage of the XLV Venice Biennial 1993, June-December 1993 ; [exhibition Palazzo Giustinian Lolin, Venice, 1993]. Roma: Ambasciata del Sudafrica, 1993. 95pp. illus. (color). Text in Italian and English. N7392.I37 1993 AFA. OCLC 29018574. South Africa rejoined the international art community through its official participation at the Venice Biennale in 1993. The twenty-seven artists, shown at three separate venues, were drawn from all segments of South Africa's multicultural society and were selected on the curatorial premise of "affinities" between the various communities of artists, black and white. At the Giardini di Castello, two artists were featured: Jackson Hlungwane and Sandra Kriel. Ceramic sculptor Bonnie Ntshalintshali showed separately. At the main venue: Willie Bester, Andries Botha, Norman Catherine, Keith Dietrich, Kendell Geers, Philippa Hobbs, Sfiso Ka Mkame, William Kentridge, David Koloane, Noria Mabasa, Trevor Makhoba, Johannes Maswanganyi, Tommy Motswai, Karel Nel, Tony Nkotsi, Malcolm Payne, Joachim Schönfeldt, Helen Sebidi, Mashego Segogela, Penny Siopis, Pippa Skotnes, Willem Strydom, Sue Williamson, and Tito Zungu.
Jephson, Amanda Anne. Aspects of twentieth century black South African art, up to 1980. M.A. thesis, Faculty of Fine Art and Architecture, University of Cape Town, 1989. 2 volumes. [volume 1, viii, 239 leaves; volume 2, plates]. illus., maps, bibliog. [unpublished]. N7392.J54 1989a AFA. OCLC 22883587. Urban art of black South African artists flows from two streams of influence: Western-style art schools in South Africa and rural art forms and styles of South African blacks, notably figurative wood carving and mural painting. The evolution of modern art in South Africa is not unrelated to what occurred elsewhere on the continent, namely the decline of older art forms, the emergence of new popular forms, and the introduction of art schools and workshops as missionary enterprises or as academic programs. This comparative background is dealt with by Jephson in chapter 1. In the second chapter, she treats at length the rural art forms of figurative wood carving (Tsonga, Venda, Pedi, and Lovedu) and mural painting (Southern Sotho, Ndebele and Xhosa). The beginning of urban black art is traced to four artists who are characterized as transitional figures: John Koenakeefe Mohl (1906-1985), Gerard Benghu (1910- ), George Pemba (1912- ), and Gerard Sekoto (1913-1993). All four of these artists developed and worked independently. Products of rural environments and mission schools, none had much formal art training. The two principal art centers that became focal points for black South African artists and which are key to understanding the real emergence of urban art are the Polly Street Art Centre in Johannesburg and Rorke's Drift Art Centre, a missionary enterprise in KwaZulu (see chapter 3). These were the training grounds for the artists who came to the fore in the decades of the 1960s and 1970s, and it is this group of artists who are at the heart of Jephson's thesis. In the fourth (and central) chapter, she discusses the work of fifteen artists working in four media: sculpture, painting, drawing/mixed media, and printmaking. They are Sydney Kumalo, Lucas Sithole, Ezrom Legae, Gladys Mgudlandlu, Ephraim Ngatane, Louis Maqhubela, Leonard Matsosa, Tshidiso Andrew Motjuoadi, Mslaba Dumile, Tito Zungu, Azaria Mbatha, Daniel Rakgoathe, Lucky Sibiya, Cyprian Shilakoe, and John Muafangejo. Volume 2 contains all plates.
Kennedy, Jean. "South African artists speak for the voiceless," pp. 171-183. In: New currents, ancient rivers: contemporary African artists in a generation of change. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1992. illus., bibl. refs. (pp. 192-193). N7391.65.K46 1992X AFA. OCLC 22389510. South African "townships" are the crucible in which the art of black artists was forged, especially in the decades of the 1960s and 1970s. Making art, and indeed living life itself, was like walking on a tightrope. Death came early for Julian Motau (1948-1968), Winston Saoli (1950-died in prison), and Cyprien Shilakoe (1946-1972). Exile was a way out for others -- Louis Maqhubela (1939- ), Dumile Feni (1939-1991), and Gavin Jantjes (1948- ). Some endured and persevered at home -- Michael Zondi (1926- ), Lucas Sithole (1931-1994), Sydney Kumalo (1935-1988), Vumikosi Zulu (1947- ), John Muafangejo (1943-1987), Tito Zungu (1946- ).
Koloane, David Nthubu, 1938- "Moments in art," pp. 140-157, 316. In: Seven stories about modern art in Africa / organized by the Whitechapel Art Gallery; concept and general editor, Clémentine Deliss. Paris; New York: Flammarion, 1995. illus. (color)., bibl. refs. (page 316). N7380.5.S49 1995 AFA. OCLC 33663281. David Koloane, as invited curator to represent South Africa at the Whitechapel Art Gallery's "Seven Stories" exhibition, is expected to tell the South African story from an insider's perspective. The political realities of apartheid defined art production for both black and white artists, both in the limits it imposed and the stimulus it provided. This essay by Koloane sketches out his conception of this uniquely South African story. It reads, however, like an outline rather than the fully realized essay, which should have been published here.
Koloane, David Nthubu, 1938- "The Polly Street art scene," pp. 211-229. In: African art in Southern Africa: from tradition to township / edited by Anitra Nettleton and David Hammond-Tooke. Johannesburg: Ad. Donker, 1989. illus. (pt. color), bibliog. (page 252). N7391.7.A25 1989b AFA. OCLC 22501798. Community art centers in South African townships have been (and still are today) the primary venues for teaching art to black youth. Among them, the Polly Street Art Centre in Johannesburg stands as the premier and certainly the most renowned of these informal art schools. Founded in 1948 -- the year after Gerard Sekoto left South Africa for Paris -- Polly Street Art Centre became a training ground for many of the talented black artists whose names are familiar today -- Durant Sihlali, Louis Maqhubela, Sydney Kumalo, Ezekiel Segola, and Louis Sithole. The philosophy of teaching art adopted by Cecil Skotnes (who became director in 1953) was that formal instruction should be set aside in favor of spontaneous creativity -- a philosophy that became a sore point with some of the artists, who felt that some grounding in principles of art was essential. In the 1960s the Centre moved to new quarters and was called Jubilee Centre, and in 1980 was renamed Mofolo Art Centre. Although some of these artists had commercial success in the white art galleries and enjoyed the patronage of whites, this was an exploitative, patronizing and ultimately limiting development -- a situation still unresolved.
Liberated voices: contemporary art from South Africa / edited by Frank Herreman, assisted by Mark D'Amato. New York: The Museum for African Art; Munich; New York: Prestel, 1999. 190pp. illus. (color), bibliog. (pp. 185-188). qN7392.L53 1999 AFA. OCLC 43035759. Can South African artists, black and white, learn to live without the enemy? Now that apartheid is history, how are artists confronting, challenging, and critiquing "post-apartheidism"? "Liberated Voices" explores that question with works of nine artists created between 1994 and 1999 - - the first five years of the New South Africa. Featured artists include Brett Murray, Zwelethu Mthethwa, Mbongeni Richman Buthelezi, Penny Siopis, Samson Mnisi, Thabiso Phokompe, Bridget Baker, Sandile Zulu, and Claudette Schreuders. For each artist, there is an essay by a critic or other artist; in two cases, the artists speak for themselves. Commentaries on the recent South African past, artistic expression then and now, and "where do we go from her" are provided by poet Mongane Wally Serote, artist David Koloane, artist Sue Williamson, curator Mark D'Amato, critic Andries Oliphant, and anthropologist Kristine Roome.
Lissoos, Sheree. Johannesburg art and artists: selections from a century. Johannesburg: Johannesburg Art Gallery, 1986. 96pp., 12pp. of plates. illus. (pt. color), notes, bibliog. qN7395.J65L77 1986 AFA. OCLC 19254834. Marking the centenary of the city of Johannesburg and the 75th anniversary of the Johannesburg Art Gallery, a major retrospective exhibition of Johannesburg artists was mounted in 1986. The first part of this catalog features pioneer artists, those active between 1886 and 1939. It includes an historical essay on the growth of art institutions in Johannesburg during this period, notably the Johannesburg Art Gallery itself. Two prominent Johannesburg artists -- painter Willem Hermanus Coetzer (1900-1983) and sculptor Anthonie Van Wouw (1862-1945) -- are featured in a separate section. The third section focuses on the art centers of the 1950s and 1960s, including the Wits Group (associated with the fine arts department of the University of the Witwatersrand), the Amadlozi Group under the guidance of Egon Guenther (which included Sidney Kumalo), and the Polly Street Art Centre. A succession of now well-known black artists passed through Polly Street Art Centre or taught there. Founded in 1948, it did not hold its first exhibition until 1955. Cecil Skotnes, appointed in 1952 as Cultural Officer, oversaw what can be seen, certainly in retrospect, as a vital artistic program for black artists. Sidney Kumalo was one of its most illustrious art teachers. In the 1960s Polly Street Art Centre closed; the program shifted to the Jubilee Social Centre. The latter-day spiritual successor to these early undertakings is the art center operated by FUBA (Federated Union of Black Artists).
Martin, Marilyn. "Is there a place for black abstract painters in South Africa," De arte (Pretoria) 44: 25-39, September 1991. illus. (color), notes, bibliog. qN8.A34A78 AFA. One of the many artistic ghettos to which black South African artists are confined is the one labeled Figurative and Narrative Painting. To break out of this ghetto into the garden of abstraction, as a few have tried (David Koloane and Louis Maqhubela, for example), is to invite total ostracism and to be roundly criticized. The Thupelo Art Project is a dramatic case in point. There are many reasons why figurative and narrative work predominates among black South African painters, but, Martin argues, abstraction as a stylistic choice should not be off limits for anyone, black or white.
Miles, Elza. Land and lives: a story of early black artists. Cape Town: Human and Rousseau; Johannesburg: Johannesburg Art Gallery, 1997. 191pp. illus. (pt. color), bibliog. OCLC 39485472. N7395.6.M55 1997X AFA. OCLC 39485472. Elza Miles, South African art historian, is helping to rescue unsung black South African artists through her research and writing. Her earlier book on Ernest Mancoba was a Noma Award Honorable Mention title in 1995 (Lifeline out of Africa), and she has also written a book on another black artist, Selby Mvusi. The present book, Land and lives, is more ambitious in scope; it presents forty-seven black South African artists (plus the work of a few anonymous artists) all born before 1930 (the criterion for inclusion). Her research grew out of a 1993 exhibition of six of the better known pioneering artists, during which she uncovered material on several "abandoned artists" and began documenting this broader history. The culmination of the effort is this book and a corresponding 1997 exhibition at the Johannesburg Art Gallery (an exhibition checklist of 144 works is included). Land and lives is more than an exhibition catalog, however. It will remain as a text on the subject long after the show closes. Although several of the forty-seven artists are familiar names -- Gerard Sekoto, Job Kekana, Peter Clarke, Milwa Mnyaluza Pemba, Gladys Mgudlandlu -- most are not household names, even in South Africa. In comparing Land and lives with the landmark exhibition catalog The neglected tradition (1988), it is fair to note that there is some overlap of artists covered. However, the scope of The neglected tradition being much broader, it treats the early artists less completely than Miles does in Land and lives. Land and lives is essentially a biographical encyclopedia. The individual essays on each artist vary in length -- some run to several pages; others only a couple of paragraphs. Miles has tried to uncover as much as possible on each and to include at least one illustration of an artwork (usually more). Miles is careful to point out the dramatic impact that access (or lack of access) to art education and mentoring had on these South African artists. In fact, the primary criterion around which she organized the book is just that -- the schooled and the unschooled. The predominant theme of the study is that these artists, both schooled and unschooled, took up art-making and continued to create despite the obstacles placed in their paths by apartheid, by poverty, by lack of opportunities for training, by overly protective/patronizing or "visually illiterate" mentors. In the first of two sections, Miles treats those artists who lacked formal training and who remained relatively isolated throughout their lives. These early artists were not without mentors, and they did occasionally have their work exhibited in shows of "native arts and crafts." The artists discussed in the second section ("Emerging independence," she calls it) all had benefit of some post-secondary education or tutelage with other artists. In most cases, they had exposure to original art works and art books, which broadened their horizons. A few studied abroad. Although Miles' organizing device of schooled and unschooled is occasionally blurry (e.g., some "emerging independent" artists did not actually have formal art training), it is certainly one way of presenting the material. Others might argue that the art itself (rather than the background and training of the artist) is a more valid way of viewing art history. Still others might argue that the dialogue between artist and audience/mentors is the truest way to read art history. The role of mentors is itself a fascinating angle, because mentors are the leitmotif throughout these stories. As Miles draws the distinction, the untrained artists' work "seems to comply with the wishes of well-meaning mentors who were often visually illiterate and upheld the notion that art should be imitative. These artsist were required to make art that appeared natural and was often illustrative" -- (preface). By contrast, the independent artists were presumably much freer in their artistic expression. Miles makes no claim to having done an exhaustive study. Other early artists will no doubt come to light -- for some reason, she does not include Jackson Hlungwane (ca. 1923- ), though he is mentioned in passing -- and more information on the lives and careers of the present artists is waiting to be discovered. Many of the artists are still alive or have family and colleagues still alive, so the task is far from complete. Miles herself interviewed many in the course of research. Ever modest about her goals, Miles' "homage" to the artists certainly builds a solid foundation, and future researchers will invariably refer back to this publication. Reviewed by M. A. Nolte, "Finally, recognition for African art," Weekend Argus Saturday Books (Cape Town) February 7-8, 1998, page 17.
The neglected tradition: towards a new history of South African art (1930-1988) ; Johannesburg Art Gallery, 23 November 1988-8 January 1989 / guest curator: Steven Sack. Johannesburg: Johannesburg Art Gallery, 1988. 155pp. illus (pt. color), bibliog. (pp. 135-153). qN7392.N38 1988 AFA. OCLC 19747702 [and] The neglected tradition: towards a new history of South African art (19301988), Johannesburg Art Gallery, 23 November 19888 January 1989 / guest curator, Steven Sack. Edition: [Corrected edition]. Johannesburg: The Gallery, c1991. 155 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 30 cm. Notes: "The only changes ... are the correction of material typographical and factual errors, and the inclusion of death dates of artists who have died since 1988"p. 4. Includes bibliographical references (p. 135153). qN7392.N38 1991 AFA. OCLC 25757971. Steven Sack has put together a ground-breaking retrospective exhibition of black South African artists whose catalog, The neglected tradition, stands as a major, perhaps the first significant book on the subject. The exhibition was notable not only because it was the first time a large public art gallery in South Africa had devoted such serious attention to black artists, but, more importantly, because it and the catalog lay the scholarly foundation for the study of these artists. Sack and his collaborators have amassed a tremendous amount of biographical and bibliographical data on one hundred artists, which serves as the essential reference source on the subject. His text presents an historical survey covering: The Pioneers, the Polly Street era, Rorke's Drift Art and Craft Centre, the New Generation, and New Generation Sculpture. The photographs, while not of outstanding quality and most, sadly, in black and white, offer a wealth of visual information. Reviewed by Brenda Danilowitz in African arts (Los Angeles) 23 (2): 94-96, April 1990.; J. L. F. in Africana notes and news (Johannesburg) 28 (8): 331, December 1989; Anitra Nettleton in South African journal of cultural and art history (Pretoria) 3 (3): 287-290, July 1989; Frieda Harmsen in South African journal of cultural and art history (Pretoria) 3 (3): 284-286, July 1989. Exhibition reviewed by Joyce Ozynski in South African journal of cultural and art history (Pretoria) 3 (3): 276-284, July 1989.
Ogilvie, Grania with Carol Graff. The dictionary of South African painters and sculptors, including Namibia. Johannesburg: Everard Read, 1988. xvii, 799pp., [84]pp. of plates. illus. (color), bibliog. N7395.6.O34 1988 AFA. OCLC 20185364. This monumental effort to document 1,800 painters, sculptors and graphic artists of South Africa and Namibia stands as a major reference book on modern southern African art. Based on questionnaires to artists and extensive archival and library research, the compilers highlight the artists' careers, listing public collections where their works are represented, and provide bibliographic references for further research on any particular artist. The criteria for inclusion, the methodology, and the format are clearly spelled out in the introduction. An extensive bibliography (pp. 773-781) and a list of gallery, museums and other useful addresses are appended. Reviewed by Brenda Schmahmann in South African journal of cultural and art history (Pretoria) 3 (3): 290-292, July 1989.
Panoramas of passage: changing landscapes of South Africa. Washington, DC: Meridian International Center; Johannesburg: University of the Witwatersrand Art Galleries, 1995. 121pp. illus. (pt. color), maps. N7392.P36 1995 AFA. OCLC 34713121. South African landscape is the theme of this traveling exhibition planned on the eve of the transition to democracy to introduce South African art to American audiences. Landscape is a persistent and complex subject in South African art, just as land itself is a contentious issue in South African politics. Curator Clive van den Berg selected an eclectic group of artworks from nineteenth and twentieth century artists to develop the idea of landscape -- as place, as memory, as metaphor. In the catalog the works are not presented chronologically, but rather alphabetically by artist, which creates unsettling juxtapositions of serene vistas and claustraphobic townships, of Voortrekkers on the veld and forces removals, of frontiers and states of emergency. For some artworks, the artists comment. The sole catalog essay by Elizabeth Delmont and Jessica Dubow ("Thinking through landscape: colonial spaces and their legacies") gives a one-sided perspective on contested territories and the imagination: that of the white South African. On the changing landscapes of the late twentieth century, there is no explication.
Plessis, Antoinette du. "The Cape Town Triennial: a phenomenon of the Eighties," De arte (Pretoria) 45: 15-24, April 1992. notes, bibliog. (page 24). qN8.A34A78 AFA. The 1991 Cape Town Triennial was the last and most controversial of the four that were held (1982, 1985, 1988 and 1991). Intended as one of South Africa's most prestigious art exhibitions, the Triennials became a vortex of controversy, drawing in and spewing out more and more acrimony and protestations (as well as praises). In the end the sponsor, the Rembrandt van Rijn Art Foundation, had had enough and withdrew support. What went wrong? Du Plessis offers a dispassionate post mortem on the Cape Town Triennials in which she considers the processes of selection and rejection of artists, the opening up to black artists, the changing composition of jury panels, the prize money, the role of the sponsor, and ultimately the increasingly volatile socio-political environment in South Africa within which this story unfolds. For more opinions on the Cape Town Triennial, the final eruption, see "Special Feature: the 1991 Triennial," De arte (Pretoria) 45: 24-48, April 1992. illus. qN8.A34A78 AFA. That the Cape Town Triennials drew such fire and aroused such heated debate are not necessarily to be deplored. Art-making and exhibiting should elicit viewer response and stimulate discussion. Even before the Rembrandt van Rijn Art Foundation withdrew its support, the editors of De Arte had invited a host of commentators to offer their views on the issues surrounding this national South African art exhibition -- issues of selection criteria, quality of works, and even of the role of national competitions within a rapidly evolving arts scene. Included here are contributions by Dick Leigh, Neville Dubow, Wilma Cruise, Alexander Podlashuc, John Sampson, Sally Thompson, Marilyn Martin, Elza Miles, Linda Givon, Kim Siebert and Zirk van den Berg.
Rankin, Elizabeth L. "Black artists, white patrons: the cross-cultural art market in rural South Africa," Africa insight (Pretoria) 20 (1): 33-39, 1990. illus (pt. color), notes, bibl. refs. HC800.S727 AFA. The commercialization of Ndebele beadwork is only one of many examples of white entrepreneurs embracing the inventiveness and adaptability of the black artists in a relationship that is at once exploitative and manipulative -- on both sides. The white promoters are not shy about intervening to influence production, and the black artists are quick to take advantage of new outlets and new consumers by catering to the market. Some of the rural-based artists who have been most successful in this urban white market are sculptors Johannes Maswanganyi, Nelson Mukhuba, Phuthuma Seoka, and Noria Mabasa, all discussed here.
Rankin, Elizabeth L. "Black artists, white patrons: the cross-cultural art market in urban South Africa," Africa insight (Pretoria) 20 (1): 25-32, 1990. illus (pt. color), notes, bibl. refs. HC800.S727 AFA. The relationship between black South African artists and their white patrons is a complex one, built on dependency, mentoring and at times exploitation. The urban artists discussed by Rankin in this context include: Gerhard Bhengu, Gerard Sekoto, John Koenakeefe Mohl, Helen Sebidi, Sydney Kumalo, Ephraim Ngatane, Durant Sihlali, Winston Saoli, Alphen Ntimbane, Peter Sibeko, Emmanuel Sibanda, Lungile Phambo, Thomas Motswai, Mslaba Dumile, Julian Motau, Azaria Mbatha, John Muafangejo, Andrew Motjuoadi, Leonard Matsoso, Cyprian Shilakoe, Lucky Sibiya, Louis Maquabela, Dumisani Mabaso, Philip Malumise, David Koloane, Bongiwe Dhlomo, Ezrom Legae, and Tony Nkotsi.
Rankin, Elizabeth L. Images of metal: post-war sculptures and assemblages in South Africa / foreword by Alan Crump; preface by Rayda Becker. Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press and University of the Witwatersrand Art Galleries, 1994. 206pp. illus., bibliog. NB1220.R19 1994 AFA. OCLC32909847. Images of metal is a companion volume to Rankin's Images of wood (1989), both of which redress the lack of public and scholarly attention to sculpture and sculptors within South African art history. The unifying theme in the present volume is metal as medium -- bronze, steel, aluminum, iron, and wire. Twenty-two sculptors are singled out, most of whom are white artists (for reasons spelled out by Rankin in her main text). The featured sculptors are: Bruce Arnott, Vincent Baloyi, Willie Bester, Andries Botha, David Brown, Neels Coetzee, Guy du Toit, Marc Edwards, Michael Goldberg, Sydney Kumalo, Ezrom Legae, Louise Linder, Noria Mabasa, Johann Moolman, Titus Moteyane, Walter Oltmann, Jan Redelinghuys, Durant Sihlali, Willem Strydom, Jeremy Wafer, Richard Wake, and Gavin Younge. For each, Rankin provides a biographical essay in which she discusses the style, technique and evolution of the artist's work in metal (several of the artists also work in different media). A small selection of wire toys, also included in the exhibition, reveal how intricate and sophisticated these "toy" sculptures have become (see pp. 71-76). The field of South African metal sculpture has been dominated by those who have had access and exposure to a formal art education, the white artists. The technical requirements and costs of working in this medium (using bronze foundries, for example) automatically restricted participation. Women, even white women artists, tended to avoid taking up metal sculpture. As for black South African artists, it is only a few, through rare opportunity or sponsorship, who have concentrated on metal sculpture, notably Sydney Kumalo, Percy Konqobe, and Ezrom Legae. Public sculptural commissions and art competitions have perpetuated these racial and gender distinctions. Rankin explores the history and evolution of recent metal sculpture in South Africa along three themes, namely, formally trained sculptors, informally trained sculptors, and competitions and commissions (see pp. 9-68). Most of the sixty-nine sculptures in the exhibition are from the University Art Galleries of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. All photographs are in black and white. Reviewed by Shannen Hill in African arts (Los Angeles) 31 (4): 13-14, 89, autumn 1998.
Rankin, Elizabeth L. Images of wood: aspects of the history of sculpture in 20th-century South Africa; [exhibition, Johannesburg Art Gallery, 1989]. Johannesburg: Johannesburg Art Gallery, 1989. 188pp. illus., bibliog. NB1255.S6R2115 1989 AFA. OCLC 20359737 Sculpture in wood was the theme of this retrospective exhibition of twentieth-century artists of South Africa, which curator Rankin acknowledges is a neglected and largely uncharted realm of South African art history. Around ninety sculptors, black and white (including a few anonymous works), were selected as representative of sculptural traditions through the century. In her long essay, Rankin explores these trends taking a chronological approach, beginning with early exemplars Mary Stainbank, Ernest Mancoba and Job Kekana. The different opportunities for art training available to artists, both formal and informal, account for the wide range of sculpture produced in South Africa. In piecing together this art history, discernible "schools" or families of sculptors emerge from the university fine arts programs (available to white students), from mission training courses, and from community art centers and workshops. Likewise, impulses toward abstraction and naturalism found divergent expression among white and black sculptors. Much of the sculpture of black artists was representational, while a few white sculptors sought an "African-ness" in their work. The art market, too, played a predominate role in shaping developments and defining sculptural products, particularly for black artists. The peculiar social environment in South Africa itself defines art and the discourse about art; this becomes more apparent when one considers recent sculpture of South African artists. The biographies of the artists and photographs of their works, which fills two-thirds of this catalog, constitute a major contribution to South African art history. Reviewed by Rayda Becker in South African journal of art and architectural history (Pretoria) 1 (2): 72-74, May 1990; by William Boshoff in South African journal of art and architectural history (Pretoria) 1 (2): 70-72, May 1990; by Eunice Basson in De arte (Pretoria) 42: 68-71, September 1990.
Rankin, Elizabeth L. Reclaiming black art history in South African galleries and museums. Paper presented at the South African Association of Art Historians conference, Durban, South Africa, June-July 1993. [s.l.: s.n.], 1993. 18pp. bibl. refs. [unpublished]. qN8846.S6R2115 1993 AFA. OCLC 29624068. A survey of black artists represented in South African art museums and galleries reveals a "profound neglect" until very recent times. This situation mirrors the general disregard for South African black art throughout the century. Ethnographic museums did, of course, collect African artifacts, but it was neither viewed nor exhibited as "art." Commercial art galleries led the way, beginning in the 1960s, to show work of black South African artists, and the art museums and galleries tentatively began to acquire works. But it took publications on black South African art to really begin to legitimize museum acquisitions. Exceptional among institutional collections is that of Fort Hare University, an exclusively black university, which began to develop a collection of black South African art in 1964. This effort and the 1988 landmark exhibition "The Neglected Tradition" at the Johannesburg Art Gallery raise a troublesome question: should black artists be so segregated, apartheid-like, or should their work be integrated into a color-blind South African art history? Another unresolved question: how should museums and galleries treat non-conventional categories of "art," that is, work regarded as "craft"? Differences in artists' backgrounds and training create real differences in art production in South Africa today. Museums and galleries are still grappling with how to become ecumenical without pandering and without abandoning evaluative criteria altogether.
Rankin, Elizabeth L. and Elza Miles. "The role of the missions in art education in South Africa," Africa insight (Pretoria) 22 (1): 34-48, 1992. illus. (pt. color), bibl. refs. HC800.S727 AFA. Apart from the Evangelical Lutheran Art and Craft Centre at Rorke's Drift, the role of missions in art education of black South Africans has been overlooked. Rorke's Drift and the secular Polly Street Arts Centre in Johannesburg are often assumed to have been the only places where black South Africans could receive any art instruction. Not so. Several Protestant and Catholic missions alike afforded opportunities for art training -- either as part of a curriculum or as an extra-curricular activity. Often art was encouraged for the production of church furnishings and religious images, but this was not always the case. Sometimes there was an economic incentive -- producing works to sell. In short, there were a variety of attitudes toward art, levels of tuition (or non-tuition), and incentives to create with an equally diverse output. Among the missions discussed are the Anglican mission at Grace Dieu, Mariannhill Mission in Natal, and Ndaleni Training College also in Natal. Among the many students who passed through or were otherwise affiliated with these institutions are: Gerard Sekoto, Job Kekana, Ernest Mancoba, Bernard Gcwensa, Ruben Xulu, Duke Ketye, Zamokwakhe Gumede, Dan Rakgoathe, Solomon Sedibane, and George Ramagaga.
Rankin, Elizabeth, Louis Vorster, and Hella Rabbathge-Schiller. Contemporary art !Xu & Khwe, Kimberley/South Africa. Johannesburg: [s.n.], 1997. 53pp. illus. (pt. color). qN7392.R36 1997X AFA. OCLC 46790831. Out of the bleak relocation camp in Schmidtsdrift, Northern Cape, South Africa, emerges an art project for displaced San people from Angola. Deprived of any livelihood in this refugee camp, their prospects are dismal. The !Xu and Khwe Cultural Project, begun in 1993, offers a ray of hope for a few to make a living from art. The work of several of the most successful San artists is illustrated and discussed by Elizabeth Rankin. She explores the imagery and compositions of the paintings and prints. Louis Vorster provides the political and economic background on these Angolan refugees. Bios are given for thirteen artists.
Richards, Colin. "About face: aspects of art, history and identity in South African visual culture," Third text: Third World perspectives on contemporary art & culture (London) 16-17 double issue: 101-133, autumn-winter 1991. illus., bibl. refs. NX1.T445 AFA. The totalitarianism of the apartheid vision created its own culture of resistance. But what happens after apartheid is swept away? What will sustain creative energy? What identity will artists seek or claim for themselves in the New South Africa? How will competing ideologies and opposing views of nationalism be resolved post-apartheid? Richards explores these questions which have already been percolating within artistic circles in South Africa for several years. The controversial 1990 exhibition of photographer Steven Hilton-Barber, which exposed "rites of passage" images, was one flash point. Sue Williamson's installation "For Thirty Years, Next to His Heart" was another. In it, she visualized the history of the hated passbook. Other visions of history and historiography of the South African experience emerge in the work of Penny Siopis, Helen Sebidi, and Durant Sihlali. Artnetafrica Richards, Colin. "Desperately seeking `Africa,'" pp. 35-44. In: Art from South Africa. Oxford: Museum of Modern Art; London: distributed by Thames and Hudson, c1990. notes. N7392.A784 1990 AFA. OCLC 23088898. "Transitional" art is a problematic category in South Africa, implying an appropriation by the dominant art establishment. These cultural debates emerged in South Africa in the 1970s when "transitional" art of black artists became, for better or worse, an acceptable category. The official ideology of pluralism has become another strategy of maintaining differences and domination. Artnetafrica Sack, Steven. "Art in black South African townships," Art monthly (London) no. 17: 6-9, June 1989. illus., bibl. refs. qN1.A7843 AFA. With the widespread unrest in South African townships in the 1980s and the collapse of the authority of township councils, a political and social vaccuum was created. One of the responses to this was the spontaneous creation of peoples' parks where some kind of overt political expression could take place. A public art in the form of assemblages of found objects (e.g., tires, bicycle wheels, painted stones) sprang up in these common areas. They were largely affirmative positive expressions, efforts at reclaiming the township environment and reasserting control. Sadly, however, they were destroyed by the armed forces who saw them as threatening. This brief artistic flourishing was effectively quashed. Artnetafrica Sack, Steven. "From country to city: the development of an urban art," pp. 54-59. In: Catalogue: ten years of collecting (1979-1989): Standard Bank Foundation Collection of African Art, University Art Galleries' Collection of African Art and selected works from the University Ethnological Museum Collection / edited by David Hammond-Tooke and Anitra Nettleton. Johannesburg: University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg Art Galleries, 1989. illus., color illus. (pp. 81-82), bibliog. N7380.5.N47c 1989 AFA. OCLC 20322250. The development of black artists in South Africa since the 1930s must be understood within the framework of a capitalist economy which imposed restrictions on where people could live and work. It was not only white middle-class patronage that influenced the content of art, but the duality of rural homesteads and urban townships, which for the black artists translated into works of art which speak to both environments. Sack explores this duality in the works of John Koenakeefe Mohl, Gerard Sekoto, Andrew Motjuoadi, Helen Sebidi and others. The early depictions of township life in works by Mohl and Sekoto, for example, are the only glimpses we have of what it was like in the 1930s and 1940s. Later, as black townships became off limits to whites, paintings (sold to a white market) carried the added responsiblity of letting whites see what it was like. Sack draws an important distinction between "protest art" and "resistance art." The former is art made by township artists and bought by whites and rarely seen by township residents, an art which communicates "between victims of oppression and the oppresor" (page 58). Resistance art, on the other hand, arose out of the Black Consciousness movement; it was one of affirmation, cultural awareness and pride. Art was meant to empower people (for example, the "peoples' parks"), and it became an adjunct to the political struggle and subject to the same repressive forces. The number of artists who have died young (the roster with which Sack introduces this essay) is unassailable testimony of the toll that repression, direct and indirect, has taken on township artists. Artnetafrica Sack, Steven. "`Garden of Eden or political landscape?': street art in Mamelodi and other townships," pp. 191-210. In: African art in Southern Africa: from tradition to township / edited by Anitra Nettleton and David Hammond-Tooke. Johannesburg: Ad. Donker, 1989. illus. (pt. color), notes (pp. 249-251), bibliog. (page 251). N7391.7.A25 1989b AFA. OCLC 22501798. Street art recaptures the social function of art, which has been the preserve of the elite (certainly in the twentieth century). Nowhere is this move to the streets more clearly seen than in South African townships. A partial parallel can be drawn to the spontaneity of popular mural art in Mozambique before independence, but there the government co-opted and redirected this popular art into a larger cultural program after independence. In South Africa, this has not yet happened. The example of "people's parks" in townships in the year 1985 is the inevitable culmination of a cultural-political process that found no other suitable outlets. Even poster art, though populist in intent, was created by a few. People's parks, on the other hand, were spontaneous creations, assemblages of found objects, painted signs and slogans, intended as attempts to reclaim and beautify public spaces. They were an affirmation of pride, an expression of solidarity, and tributes to heroes, such as Biko, Mandela or Luthuli, put together by untrained artists. These "gardens of Eden" were inevitably viewed by the authorities as dangerous "political landscapes," and they were all demolished.
Sack, Steven. "In the name of art: a reflection on fine art," pp. 74-96. In: Culture in another South Africa / edited by Willem Campschreur and Joost Divendal. London: Olive Branch Press, 1989. illus. (color). NX589.8.S6C96 1989 AFA. OCLC 19264868. Political and artistic landscapes merged in South African townships in the 1980s where a new "artculture" challenged the system, but also affirms and negotiates its own "liberatory vision." Some white artists, too, were caught up in this new vision. "Art," as Sack puts it, "lost its innocence" in the years since the Soweto uprising in 1976. All this occurred despite official attempts to subvert or neutralize the emerging and shifting art culture and despite the continuing dilemma of co-option by white middle-class structures for mediating art (galleries, museums). Twenty-eight color photographs of art works and installations, some since destroyed, are presented with commentary by Sack.
Sasol art collection = Die Sasol-Kunsversameling / designed by Frank Horley; introduction by Leoni Schmidt. [Johannesburg]: Penrose Press, 1988. vi, 73 color plates. Text in Afrikaans and English. N7392.S25 1988 AFA. OCLC 27365254. The Sasol art collection, like many corporate collections, began rather casually. Around 1982 a more systematic approach was formulated under the artistic guidance of Leoni Schmidt and others to develop a representative collection of contemporary South African art from the 1960s forward. A selection of seventy-three paintings from the Sasol collection is presented in this volume, introduced by Schmidt. A second volume was published in 1991; see next entry.
Sasol art collection = Die Sasol-Kunsversameling. volume 2 / designed by Frank Horley; introduction by Leoni Schmidt. [Johannesburg]: Penrose Press, 1991. viii + 70 pages of plates (color). Text in Afrikaans and English. N7392.S25 1988 volume 2 AFA. OCLC 27365254. Sasol, South Africa's major oil company, has been building a serious art collection since the early 1980s, although the beginnings date back to the 1960s. The Sasol collection specializes in paintings by South African artists from the 1960s to the present. The first volume on the collection was published in 1988 (see preceding entry). This second volume is published on the occasion of the opening of the Sasol Art Museum at the University of Stellenbosch in October 1991. The paintings reproduced in the first volume were largely abstract works, typical of the 1960s and 1970s. But those in the present volume reflect a shift toward figurative and expressive works. Four themes are discernible: nature, man, community and cultural tradition; the book is organized around these broad themes. Eighty-one paintings and works in other media, dating mainly from the late 1980s, are illustrated (in color). See also Opening of the Sasol Art Museum in the Eben Dönges Centre at Stellenbosch University, 3-24 October 1991. [Stellenbosch: s.n.], 1991. 36, 36pp. Text in English and Afrikaans. N3885.S8O614 1991 AFA. OCLC 27356158.
A selection of Eastern Cape art / compiled by Helena Theron; text by Bert Olivier. Port Elizabeth: Bird Street Publications, 1994. [148]pp. illus. (pt. color). N7394.C25S46 1994 AFA. OCLC 32520163. Artists from the Eastern Cape have suffered under the misbegotten label of provincialism within the context of South African art, but this, Helena Theron argues, is unfair and blind-sighted. To prove that art is alive and well in the Eastern Cape, she assembled the work of seventy artists. Predominantly painters, predominantly white, one work of each is reproduced along with a photograph of the artist and a biographical sketch. Artnetafrica Sixpence a door: black art in South Africa [videorecording] / directed by Gavin Younge; produced by Les Films du Village, 1990. 1 videocassette (ca. 55 minutes): sd.: color: ½ in., PAL format. video 169 AFA. OCLC 28652025. This video, originally done for French television, is intended to give some of the variety of flavors of contemporary artistic expression of black South African artists, both urban and rural, trained and self-taught. Gerard Sekoto, Jackson Hlungwane, and Helen Sebidi are among featured artists. One segment of the film is devoted to politically inspired posters produced by cooperatives associated with the labor movement. "Art" is also extended to cover contemporary manifestations of Christian worship and church dress, e.g., Shembe's Zionist church. On this last point, see Karen H. Brown's review of the exhibition "Spiritual art of Natal," African arts (Los Angeles) 27 (1): 78-79, January 1994. Artnetafrica South African National Gallery. Contemporary South African art, 1985-1995 from the South African National Gallery permanent collection; [exhibition, South African National Gallery, December 14, 1996-March 31, 1997] / edited by Emma Bedford; introduction by Marilyn Martin. Cape Town: South African National Gallery, 1996. 176pp. illus. (pt. color), bibliog. (pp. 169-174). N7392.2.S68 1997 AFA. OCLC 38418131. The acquisitions policy of the South African National Gallery (S.A.N.G.) has shifted dramatically over the last fifteen years as a direct response to the new political and cultural environment of the dissolution of apartheid. In many sectors of the art world and at S.A.N.G. in particular, this sea change has been long anticipated and accommodated, even helped along by a liberalizing attitude and expansive approach to collecting and exhibiting South African art. Neville Dubow, the chairman of S.A.N.G.'s acquisitions committee from 1982 to 1995, discusses this new direction in an interview with Emma Bedford. A cross section of modern art acquired during this period is presented chronologically with complete catalog information on each artist and each work of art. Reviewed by Ruth Kerkham in Third text: Third World perspectives on contemporary art and culture (London) 45: 104-106, winter 1998-1999. Artnetafrica Thorpe, Jo, 1921-1995. It's never too early: a personal record of African art and craft in Kwazulu-Natal 1960-1990. Durban: Indicator Press, Centre for Social and Development Studies, University of Natal, 1994. 112pp. illus. (pt. color). ISBN 1-86840-167-7. Jo Thorpe began the African Art Centre in Durban in 1959 as a small part of the Natal region's South African Institute of Race Relations. Right from the start, the art shop promoted Zulu art as a means of helping rural artists, and Thorpe is credited with maintaining high standards of quality workmanship in all the arts and crafts that were offered for sale. In this personal history of the African Art Centre, Thorpe tells first-hand its evolution through three decades. Over the years she acquired a small collection for the Centre, almost inadvertently, by keeping back choice objects. Three key events shaped the decade of the 1960s for the Centre: the launching of the bienniale "Art: South Africa: Today" exhibition in 1963; the collaboration with Rorke's Drift Art and Craft Centre, and the extraordinary and fortuitous "discovery" of Azaria Mbatha (1941- ) in 1962. The 1970s and 1980s witnessed major expansions in the operations and artistic repertoire of the African Art Centre. In 1982 the Centre became independent of the Institute of Race Relations and continued to flourish. In telling this story, Thorpe profiles the key artists who have been associated with the Centre. In the 1960s, there were Allina Ndebele, Azaria Mbatha, Michael Zondi. In the 1970s: Tito Zungu, Dan Rakgoathe, Raphael Magwaza, John Muafangejo, Bridgeman Nyawo, Vuminkosi Zulu, Cyprian Shilakoe. In the 1980s: Wiseman Mbambo, Zamowakhe Gumede, Derrick Nxumalo, Paul Sibisi, Bheki Myeni, Mziwakhe Mbatha, Henry Mshololo, Saint Mokoena, George Msimnag, and Bafana. In the early 1990s: Moses Buthelezi, Joseph Manana, Sokhaya Charles Nkosi, and Trevor Makhoba. Reviewed by Lyn Graybill in African book publishing record (Oxford) 23 (3): 223, 1997. Artnetafrica Tributaries: Quellen und Strömungen; Eine Ausstellung zeitgenössischer Kunst des südlichen Afrika; Bilder und Skulpturen = A view of contemporary South African art / edited by Ricky Burnett. [Johannesburg]: Communication Department, BMW South Africa, [1985]. 64pp. illus. (pt. color). Text in English and German. N7392.T82 1985 AFA. OCLC 19990829. In retrospect, Ricky Burnett's "Tributaries" exhibition was ground breaking for South Africa; perhaps it was viewed so at the time. 1985 seems a long time ago and much has happened since then to transform the art scene in South Africa. "Tributaries" was a large show (111 works), whose curator reached out to artists not then in the mainstream, but whose work flowed, like tributaries into a river, toward a larger more panoramic view of contemporary South African art. In fact, it was the concept of tributaries, of diversity, rather than the mainstream, that motivated Burnett in his quest. It took some digging but he succeeded in unearthing "some compelling images" that shared, if nothing else, a common humanity. Portraits of the artists are included, along with illustrations of works. For a critique of the skewed historical "package" of national art exhibitions, such as the 1985 "Tributaries" or the Cape Town Triennials, see T. H. King, "Tributaries and the Triennial: two South African art exhibitions," Critical arts (Johannesburg) 5 (3): 39-57, 1991. King addresses issues of selection criteria for exhibitions, access or lack of access, self-serving publicity and media attention versus real art criticism, and goals of sponsorship. The element of cultural dominance, intended or not, in these national art exhibitions has been overlooked in art historical writing in South Africa. The politics of exhibitions, he argues, is a legitimate, even critical theme in reconstructing South African art history. See also: Ivor Powell, "Killing the father: some thoughts on South African art and the BMW show," De Arte (Pretoria) 32: 45-47, April 1985.
Van Robbroeck, Lize. The ideology and practice of community arts in South Africa, with particular reference to Katlehong and Alexandra Arts Centres. M.A. thesis, University of the Witwatersrand, 1991. 140 leaves. [unpublished]. qNX820.S6V36 1991a AFA. OCLC 44463771. Community arts projects have been vitally important in South Africa, and Von Robbroeck argues, "could provide viable solutions to some of the cultural and educational problems which beset this country" (page 1). The ideological foundation of community arts in Britain and America has been largely absent in South Africa, but the potential is there. In Chapter 1, Von Robbroeck, discusses the revolutionary aims of the international community arts movement. In Chapter 2, she discusses the socio-political and educational factors that gave rise to the community arts movements in South Africa. Includes references to Rorke's Drift, Polly Street, Nyanga Art Centre, the Black Consciousness movement, and the Funda Arts Centre. In Chapter 3, the centerpeice of her thesis, she examines the aims and ideology, political orientation, management, relationship with the community, funding, marketing and education of two of South Africas community art centers: Katlehong and Alexandra.
Verstraete, Frances. "Township art: context, form and meaning," pp. 152-171. In: African art in Southern Africa: from tradition to township / edited by Anitra Nettleton and David Hammond-Tooke. Johannesburg: Ad. Donker, 1989. illus. (pt. color), notes (pp. 245-246), bibliog. (page 246). N7391.7.A25 1989b AFA. OCLC 22501798. The term "township art," if it is to be used at all, applies specifically to urban black art of the 1950s and 1960s, in particular painting and graphic art. (Gerard Sekoto was a precursor of "township art.") In an environment permeated with poverty, crime, bleakness, restrictions, physical and psychological pressures, artistic creativity, however limited, provided one outlet. The little painting that was done (given scarcity of opportunity, training and supplies) was a response to this oppression, an effort to humanize an inhuman situation. The themes of these paintings were invariably those of daily life in the township, not political in intent, but made so by the very circumstances of their creation and the expressive styles with which they were drawn or painted. Verstraete singles out Mslaba Zwelidumile Mxgaji, known simply as Dumile, as the "best known exponent of the expressionistic style." His work confronts his own struggle to survive emotionally and physically in the hard urban environment from which there is no turning or escape. His concern is with the human condition, the hardships and suffering of life in the townships. As a true original, Dumile has had serious followers, such as Julian Motau or Winston Saoli, as well as a host of imitators, who have lowered the quality of "township art" by their pedestrian and now crassly commercial approach. Dumile went into exile [now deceased]; Motau is dead. The scene has changed -- Black Consciousness, the Soweto uprisings. These and new opportunities for black artists in South Africa from the 1970s on have altered the artistic landscape completely.
Williamson, Sue and Ashraf Jamal. Art in South Africa: the future present. Cape Town: David Philips, 1996. 159pp. illus. (color). N7392.W54 1996x AFA. OCLC 37518816 This is a companion volume to Williamson's ground-breaking Resistance art in South Africa written from the perspective of seven turbulent years as witness to "the future present" in the New South Africa. Like the predecessor volume, Art in South Africa showcases recent work by forty artists, which collectively represents the flavor and sensibilities of art in the 1990s. Where is South African art in the "post-resistance" period? With apartheid on the scrap heap, what issues engage those artists who still want engagement? The curatorial guideline for artist Williamson and journalist Jamal is to seek "artists who express durable questions," who realize that the future may be as turbulent as the past. The present offering is certainly eclectic. With all the international attention on South Africa, the irruption of South African art exhibitions overseas, and the center-ring circus attraction of the 1995 Johannesburg Biennale, the past few years have been a heady, exhilarating and confused period for South African artists. It is not clear where this artistic vortex at the southern tip of the African continent is headed. Reviewed by Joan Bellis, "Women who paint with the wolves," Mail and guardian review of books (Johannesburg) November 1996, pp. 1-2. Reviewed by by Hazel Friedman, "SA art in technicolor," Mail and guardian review of books (Johannesburg) November 1996, page 2.
Williamson, Sue. Resistance art in South Africa. Cape Town: David Philip, 1989. 160pp. illus. (color) N7392.W732 1990 AFA. [London: Catholic Institute for International Relations, 1990. OCLC 20722632]. The Soweto uprisings of 1976 jolted artists both white and black out of their complacency and galvanized them to express their resistance to apartheid. Sue Williamson, an artist and activist, has compiled the works of more than sixty South African artists in this visual survey of the many forms and varieties of resistance art. Themes of violence, aggression, exploitation and anguish are mixed with those of satire even whimsy. The popular arts have played an equally important role -- graffiti, peace parks, T-shirts, posters. The white artists, most of whom are formally trained, take an intellectual approach to resistance, while the black artists, most of whom are self-taught or informally trained in workshops and community arts programs, express a more visceral "frontline" urgency in their work. Illustrated in color. Vignettes of text allow each artist to say something about his vision and purpose. Reviewed by A. du Plessis, "Two more or less glossy books: problems in art documentation of the Eighties" South African journal of art and architectural history (Pretoria) 2 (3 and 4): 102-107, 1991. Du Plessis takes Williamson to task for a superficial, pandering, and unscholarly treatment of an important subject. While commending the attractive reproductions of art, he finds little else to praise. The criteria for including artists, the implicit nature of "resistance art" within the South African context, and the impressionistic tone of her commentary are all challenged by du Plessis. Ultimately her book "perpetuates the meaningless quest for identifying a `national identity' of South African art" (page 105). Also reviewed by Andries Walter Olphant, "Resistance art by Sue Williamson," Staffrider (Johannesburg) 9 (2): 89-92, 1990; by Mary Molinaro in Art documentaion (Tucson) 9 (3): 154-155, fall 1990; by Janet L. Stanley in African book publishing record (Oxford) 16 (4): 241-242, 1990.
Younge, Gavin, 1947- Art of the South African townships. New York: Rizzoli, 1988. 96pp. illus. (pt. color). N7394.H66Y68 1988X AFA. OCLC 17952862. Younge's book, which is timely, well-illustrated and attractively produced by an international art publisher, has been disappointingly reviewed in part because of a missed opportunity. It is also criticized because Younge's category "township art" is problematic and politically fraught, and he includes a number of rural-based artists. It is also limited primarily to artists in the Cape area without explaining why other "township" areas, like Johannesburg, are excluded. Still, the visual catalog provided here is valuable exposure for artists whose work has not been widely seen or documented. Most of the art works illustrated date from the 1980s. The political and social context within which black South African artists work necessarily defines the content of that work, and this comes across clearly. Younge's text covers: Township art and politics; Art training and "Bantu education"; Township life and art; and Artists and the struggle. Artists featured: Phatuma Seoka, Noria Mabasa, Titus Moteyane, Johannes Maswanganyi, Tito Zungu, Nelson Mukhuba, Zamokwakhe Gumede, Tommy Motswai, Derrick Nxumalo, Bernard M. Tshatsinde, Johannes Phokela, Billy Mandindi, Mpolokeng Ramphomane, Emile Maurice, Randy Hartzenberg, Craig Masters, Luthando Lupuwana, Madi Phala, Mboyi Moshidi, Paul Sibisi, David Hlongwane, Hamilton Budaza, Sfiso Mkame, Sam Nhlengethwa, Peter Clarke, Avashoni Mainganye, Nat Mokgotsi, Sydney Holo, Thamsanqwa Mnyela, Jackson Hlungwane, Jim Ngumo, John Muafangejo (Namibia). There is also a brief section on house painters. Reviewed by Charles Ben Pike in African arts (Los Angeles) 22 (4): 83, August 1989; by Frieda Harmsen in South African journal of cultural and art history (Pretoria) 3 (3): 284-286, July 1989; by Anitra Nettleton in South African journal of cultural and art history (Pretoria) 3 (3): 287-290, July 1989; by Amanda Jephson and Nicolaas Vergunst, "Imijondolo: black and white in gold," ADA: art, design, architecture (Cape Town) no. 6: 46, [1988]; by Jacques Alvarez-Pereyre in Third world quarterly (London) 11 (3): 263-266, 1988. |
| Home
Contact us
Sculpture Links
© ArtnetAfrica 2004 © |