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The National Gallery of Zimbabwe

Own Correspondent
The National Gallery of Zimbabwe is inviting members of the public to come in and view some of the priceless and rare masterpieces housed in its permanent collection in an exhibition entitled “Unpacking the Vision: From Rembrandt to Mubayi”.

The exhibition was officially opened during the 60th anniversary celebrations at the gallery and shall be running until September 13, 2017.

Unpacking the Vision: From Rembrandt to Mubayi is an exhibition that taps into the Gallery’s permanent collection from the past to the present as part of the gallery’s 60th Anniversary celebrations.

Sylvester Mubayi

The Gallery has a vision to collect, preserve and promote the country’s visual culture and it holds a diverse collection that includes traditional artefacts from around the African continent, old European Masters, and contemporary Art of Zimbabwe and Africa.

The works in the collection are of outstanding quality and importance defined by merit and the artist’s contribution to the history and development of Zimbabwean and international art.

This exhibition is an attempt to recollect the first show that was ever staged in the newly inaugurated Gallery in 1957 and to add a new chapter that brings us into the current century.

That first show provided a stroll through the chronicles of Western European Art History and was exalted as the first time anything of this nature had occurred wherein some of the most precious and significant Western art gems were gathered and transported to Africa!.

This story reveals a great deal about the original conception and purpose that was ascribed to the new building.

The Gallery is proud to host this exhibition as it marks its 60 years of existence.

In this way, From Rembrandt to Mubayi, extracts artworks from the Permanent Collection that are presented around the subjects of people and portraits, landscapes and architecture and issues around devotion.

The layout consists of works before the 18th century being showcased downstairs, in the Courtauld Gallery. T

he East Gallery, recently renamed to the Takawira Gallery after the Takawira Brothers John and Bernard, hosts nineteenth century works while the North Gallery also recently renamed to the Bernard Matemera Gallery has works representing the current twenty first century and is essentially an example of the contemporary art of Zimbabwe.

International historic works are presented alongside ‘other’ works that present an interesting convergence or conversation or relationship based on content, form and allusion.

As part of the 60th Anniversary, the National Gallery renamed some of the spaces within the Gallery after some early stone sculptors to acknowledge the legacy they left and the huge contributions they made towards the development of modern and contemporary art in Zimbabwe.

Old Masters include German Durer, Dutch Rembrandt, Spanish Goya, Gore, English Gainsborough, Reynolds, French Vernet, Italian Rodin and Pisarro amongst others, while the works of modern and Contemporary African artists are represented by the works of Nigerian Twin Seven Seven, Ghanaian painter Ablade Glover, Malangatana of Mozambique, Zambian Henry Tayali as well as Zimbabweans Thomas Mukarobgwa and Kingsley Sambo amongst others.

The crescendo of the show is realised by the work of Sylvester Mubayi , a veteran Zimbabwean artist who has outlived most of his counterparts to emerge as one sculptor that has worked with almost every sculptural group since the sixties, all the time constant yet experimenting with different contents and contexts.

Time has led to increased refinement of his forms and complete mastery of the medium.

Mubayi has been able to chisel beautiful form and poignant content with a wonderful culmination in pieces that were recently shown at the Venice Biennale Exhibition.

This was the first inclusion of stone sculpture at the Pavilion as a personal tribute to the man and an acknowledgement of the work that sculpture and sculptors have contributed to the foundation of Zimbabwean Art Heritage.

Contemporary Artists make a significant statement in the show. The works on display include those from Tapfuma Gutsa, Masimba Hwati, Gareth Nyandoro, Terrence Musekiwa, Virginia Chihota, Chiko Chazungura to mention but a few.

The show is also here to remind both the Zimbabwean and international community of this collection that links us together.

As the only contemporary art museum in the country, we continue to carry the vision that was mooted long ago. International exhibitions started during the days of Frank McEwen and will be continued for they promote not only artists but the country at large.

Collaborations with other international organisations were started with the founding Director who was well networked internationally and the present Directorate continue this legacy with the significant highlight being the Zimbabwe Pavilion at the Venice Biennale since 2011.

The National Gallery of Zimbabwe has been the main custodian of all these works that found themselves deposited here from as far back as 60 years as well as many other imported works that came across the threshold even since.

The Old Masters have been joined by other masterpieces representing other histories and aesthetics and thus our collection of over 6000 works hovers between the old and the show-stopping, game-changing New.

Taken alongside the parallel story of a short half century of local art reawakening, manifestation and development trajectory; one has a brave new world in which South meets North, Old Masters meet New Masters, Black meets White and elitist canons meet accessible, even recycled materials for the crafting of Art.

As Frank McEwen said: “I maintain that all genuinely modern art is influenced by African Art.

African influence is first apparent in 1904 when the German expressionists were bowled over by the power of expression of African Art.” We invite members of the public to come into the Gallery and enjoy the best of Art from Africa and other parts of the world.