Lazarus Takawira - all 6' 7" of him! - was one of the early
sculptors and his work is highly sought after. This piece, entitled "Hopeful", was carved from the extremely hard Springstone.
Lazarus’ sculptures are a form of self expression.
They depict his reactions to events that have taken place
in his life. Often he incorporates a self-portrait into the
stone which he sees as his signature. He uses the Shona
cultural beliefs as a means of expressing himself. Lazarus
says, “I only sculpt women. They are the most important
sex because they are the source of all life, of all beauty,
and of all joy for man. Women drive everything in our lives
and as a sculptor, with every work I do I pay homage to
the women in my life, who have made me what I am now.”
Lazarus’ work is held permanently in the Zimbabwean
National Gallery, as well as various public collections
around the world. This includes the Musée Rodin in Paris,
The World Bank in New York, The Africa Museum in
Belgium and The Museum of Bombay in India. In 1990,
during the Commonwealth Games at the Zimbabwe
Heritage Exhibition, Lazarus was presented to the late Queen, and King Charles, has collected his work. Celia
Irving-Winter, art historian and critic, says of Lazarus’
work: “Like his master counterparts, his brothers and
Nicholas Mukomberwana, Lazarus Takawira has proved
that stone sculpture made in Zimbabwe is not just the
song which is sung to bring supper to the artist, but a real
and finite expression of cultures within the subregion,
which have both been subject to change and have
recognisable and applied roots. Takawira talks about his
African culture, the moveable feast which comprises his
beliefs, his life experience, his historic consciousness and
his sense of spiritual and familial ancestry.” Takawira
received numerous awards for his work, and
participated in group exhibitions worldwide. He also
had a one-man show in Harare, Zimbabwe. His work
lead the evolution of sculpture in Zimbabwe.
Height: 14 ½" x 4" width and depth.