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Picket Mazhindu Bumhira
"Protected Spirits, " a Carved Opal signed by Picket Mazhindu Bumhira

2004

$10,500
£8,016.47
€9,181.66
CA$14,710.45
A$16,448.09
CHF 8,627.71
MX$199,225.81
NOK 108,907.85
SEK 102,891.60
DKK 68,532

About the Item

"Protected Spirits" is a sculpture carved from Opal stone signed Picket, who is part of the Shona tribe in Zimbabwe. It depicts two abstracted figures, presumably spirits, seeming to float upwards. 38 1/2" x 13 1/2" x 7 1/4" Picket Mazhindu Bumhira was born 1968 in the Seke communal lands about 5 km. from Harare, Zimbabwe. Picket had a passion for art from childhood and during his school days he loved drawing and painting. He was very inspired by sculpture of the late John Takawira, one of Zimbabwe's first generation of Shona sculptors, whom he met when Picket went to Chapungu. They then agreed to work together. Later he started to sculpt on his own. Some of his works made the headlines in the newspapers, including "Spirit of Love," which was exhibited in Victoria Falls during Arts Gala. He exhibited in the UK and in Germany. He was among the sculptors who went to China for an exhibition at the Poverty Reduction Summit. Picket likes working on springstone and opal and especially enjoys making abstracts. Shona artists and crafts people have been working in different media for generations. These include paintings, pottery, basket ware, wood carvings, and sculpture done in metal as well as the stone carvings. While there is not a long standing tradition of sculpture in what is now Zimbabwe (formerly Southern Rhodesia), stone carvings dating from the 15th century were seen in Great Zimbabwe, an excavated temple near Bulawayo. Most of the artifacts from this location have been moved to museums in Cape Town, South Africa or London. It is generally agreed that Zimbabwean stone sculpture as seen today began during the late colonial period of the 1950's and 1960's. During this period the artists and artisans depicted many of the traditional Shona and other tribal spiritual myths. Out of all the nations in Africa, the large varieties and abundant supplies of rock formations present throughout the Zimbabwe landscape provide artists with a medium for sculpture and carvings unique to their country. The Shona art sculpture of Zimbabwe combines the wonderful varieties presented by the stone with images drawn both from reality and abstract symbolism. Much of the stone used by Shona artists is quarried in areas which are adjacent or quite near the villages where the work is created. Often the land on which the stone is found is owned by the village or the local artists. The artists use stone such as Serpentine (somewhat old, having been formed about 2.6 billion years ago), with more than 200 color variations. The hardest and darkest of the Serpentine varieties is black, commonly known as Springstone or Africa stone. The wonderful natural character of stone is used both in its rough cut and textured state, or heated and burnished to a high gloss to reveal rich greens, browns, blacks and grays. The hardness, shape, density and quantity used of serpentine, verdite, sandstone, granite, steatite and other stones define the ultimate presentation of completed Shona art sculptures and carvings.
  • Creator:
    Picket Mazhindu Bumhira (Shona, Zimbabwean)
  • Creation Year:
    2004
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 38.5 in (97.79 cm)Width: 13.5 in (34.29 cm)Depth: 7.25 in (18.42 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 11419g1stDibs: LU60532056233

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