SHONA HISTORY AND ART

Modern and Contemporary Shona peoples are known for their beautifully carved stone pieces. The Shona have a long history working with stone, dating back to the Great Zimbabwe (House of Stone) complex constructed by the ancestors of the Shona between the 11th - 15th centuries. This tradition of working in stone and connecting to its spiritual power was passed down through oral history for generations, which culminated in 1956 with the development of Shona artist workshops. 

Shona artists, with art critic Frank McEwen, formed the National Gallery Workshop where they continued their ancestral traditions by using indigenous serpentine stone materials to create naturalistic and abstract sculpture. These works of art represent traditional and contemporary subjects, capturing midzimu (ancestral spirits), merging the past with the present. 

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For more information on Shona art and culture, refer to the following sources:

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Great Zimbabwe, Metropolitan Museum

Guruve Gallery

Great Zimbabwe, Khan Academy

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Ponter, Anthony. Spirits in Stone: The New Face of African Art. Sebastopol, CA: Ukama Press, 2005.

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