When Britain’s Frank McEwen was selected to serve as the first director of the Rhodes National Gallery in 1957, now the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, his mission was to educate people about fine art—European fine art. Then a funny thing happened.
Holly Wilson, Bloodline, Keeper of the Seeds, bronze with patina, cedar and steel, 30 x 98 x 18"
Early in his tenure, local artists brought him a carving. He was intrigued. When they brought him more of their work, he was further intrigued—enough so to visit their homes (they didn’t have what could be considered studios at the time). Recognizing the caliber and breadth of art being created in Zimbabwe, artwork he—and most of the rest of the world—was wholly unfamiliar with, McEwen scrapped plans to bring European pieces to the country and instead focused his attention on what was being produced in-country. His efforts to expose these sculptures went several steps further, leaning on his European and South American contacts to introduce the work there as well.
Lovemore Bonjisi, Love Dance, springstone, 44 x 13 x 8"
In the late 1980s, what has come to be known as Shona sculpture—named after what is broadly considered Zimbabwe’s largest Native tribe—finally took hold in the United States among collectors. Bonner David Galleries founder Clark David Olsen has been representing Shona sculpture for 25 years. With Bonner David celebrating its 20th anniversary in Scottsdale, Arizona, Olsen again turns to Shona sculpture, as well works by sculptor Holly Wilson and ceramicist Karen Shapiro, for the gallery’s signature fall exhibition, Twenty in Twenty-Twenty-Two, which runs September 30 through October 15.
While the artistic vision and skilled craftsmanship of Shona artists is unquestionable, incorporating these distinct pieces of African art into an existing collection may seem puzzling. How will they harmonize? “It’s your taste, and if your collection is eclectic and is unusual and if you love a piece, there’s a place for it in your collection,” Olsen advises. 
Peter Gwisa, Twisted Reasoning, springstone, 23 x 10 x 13"
Braden Coolidge serves as curator of African Art for Bonner David which opened a new location steps from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 2020. Coolidge has been visiting Zimbabwe annually for almost 30 years, since his undergraduate days, developing relationships with the artists and bringing their work to the States. Twenty in Twenty-Twenty-Two features a completely new selection of Shona sculpture. “It used to just be a gray or brown or black stone,” Olsen explains of Shona sculpture production. “Now, there are all sorts of different colors of stone, hardness of stone, so you really get a great diversity in the color palettes.” 
Moses Nyanhongo, Encore Performance, green serpentine
Resulting from modern hands while connected to a centuries-old Indigenous art-making practice, Shona sculpture straddles the classifications of “traditional” and “contemporary.” Artists working in the traditional style are figurative, many others have chosen to go in an abstract direction, their forms often recalling knots.
From Albert Barnes to Pablo Picasso, far-sighted collectors have always acquired and cherished African art. Bonner David Galleries offers that opportunity now with its Shona sculpture. —
Bonner David Galleries 7040 E. Main Street • Scottsdale, AZ 85251 • (480) 941-8500 • www.bonnerdavid.com
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