Items Similar to Sydney Kumalo Bronze Minimalist African Modernist Sculpture Figural Female Nude
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 11
Sydney KumaloSydney Kumalo Bronze Minimalist African Modernist Sculpture Figural Female Nude20th.c
20th.c
$4,500
£3,440.49
€3,962.75
CA$6,305.88
A$7,039.92
CHF 3,688.81
MX$86,175.55
NOK 46,847.96
SEK 44,171.68
DKK 29,574.40
Shipping
Retrieving quote...The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation
About the Item
Sydney Kumalo. Features a bronze stylized female figural form sculpture fixed to a marble plinth and wood base. Bears signature on base. Measures 9 1/2" x 4 1/4". There is no edition number on the piece.
Sydney Kumalo (1935 - 1988) was born in Sophiatown, Johannesburg, on 13 April 1935. His was one of the families who had to move out of the "white" city to the South Western Townships, or Soweto. Raised in Diepkloof and educated at Madibane High School, he took with him from old Sophiatown the curious and diverse heritage of its heyday. Art classes in the Catholic school, "Sof' town" blues and jazz, the vibrant street culture and growing defiance of its population of various races who were gradually forced out into separate race-group areas. So it was that these various aspects of his early life created for Kumalo a cultural mix of a Zulu family related to the traditional royal house; city schooling, nascent township music and lingo; growing urbanised political defiance and the deep-rooted Zulu pride and respect for the legends and ancient stories of a tribal people. This mix of old and new cultures was reinforced when he began his studies at the Polly Street Art Centre in 1953 where he became a member of Cecil Skotnes group of serious artists who were encouraged to acquire professional skills. Skotnes introduced a basic training programme with modelling as a component, which marked the introduction of sculpting (in brick-clay) at Polly Street.
Kumalo was Skotnes’ assistant at Polly Street from 1957 to 1964, and having recognised his great talent as a sculptor, Skotnes encouraged him to become a professional artist.
After Kumalo’s very successful assistance with a commission to decorate the St Peter Claver church at Seeisoville near Kroonstad, with painting designs, sculpture and relief panels in 1957, Skotnes arranged for Kumalo to continue his art training by working in Edoardo Villa ’s studio from 1958 to 1960. Working with Villa, he received professional guidance and began to familiarize himself with the technical aspects of sculpting and bronze casting. In 1960 he became an instructor at the Polly Street Art Centre.
Kumalo started exhibiting his work with some of the leading commercial Johannesburg galleries in 1958, and had his first solo exhibition with the Egon Guenther Gallery in 1962. He was a leader of the generation who managed to leave behind the forms of African curios, reject the European-held paternalism which encouraged notions of "naive" and "tribal" African art, and yet still hold fast to the core of the old legends and spiritual values of his people. He introduced these subjects into his bronze sculptures and pastel drawings, evolving his own expressive, contemporary African "style".
Together with Skotnes, Villa, Cecily Sash and Giuseppe Cattaneo, Kumalo became part of the Amadlozi group in 1963. This was a group of artists promoted by the African art collector and gallery director Egon Guenther, and characterised by their exploration of an African idiom in their art. Elza Miles writes that Cecil Skotnes’ friendship with Egon Guenther had a seminal influence on the aspirant artists of Polly Street: “Guenther broadened their experience by introducing them to German Expressionism as well as the sculptural traditions of West and Central Africa. He familiarised them with the work of Ernst Barlach, Käthe Kollwitz, Gustav Seitz, Willi Baumeister and Rudolf Sharf.” It is therefore not surprising that some of Kumalo’s sculptures show an affinity with Barlach’s powerful expressionist works. Guenther organised for the Amadlozi group to hold exhibitions around Italy, in Rome, Venice, Milan and Florence, in both 1963 and 1964.
Kumalo’s career took off in the mid 1960s, with his regular participation in exhibitions in Johannesburg, London, New York and Europe. He also represented South Africa at the Venice Biennale in 1966, and in 1967 participated in the São Paulo Biennale.
EJ De Jager (1992) describes Kumalo’s sculpture as retaining much of the “canon and formal aesthetic qualities of classical African sculpture. His work contains the same monumentality and simplicity of form.” His main medium for modelling was terra cotta, which was then cast in bronze, always paying careful attention to the finish of both the model as well as the final cast. He began casting the pieces he modelled in clay or plaster into bronze at the Renzo Vignali Artistic Foundry in Pretoria North. He worked throughout his life with its owners, the Gamberini family, and enjoyed learning the technical aspects of the casting process, refining his surfaces according to what he learned would produce the best results in metal. De Jager further writes that Kumalo’s distinctive texturing of the bronze or terra cotta is reminiscent of traditional carving techniques of various African cultures. “In many respects Kumalo thus innovated a genuine contemporary or modern indigenous South African sculpture”. Kumalo came to admire the works of the Cubists, and of British sculptors Henry Moore and Lynn Chadwick. He became noted for adapting shapes from them into his own figures. The success of his use of the then current monumental simplicity and purely aesthetic abstractions of natural forms has been emulated by many South African sculptors since the 1970s.
He was in many ways the doyen of South African Black art. As such he was an important influence especially on younger African sculptors, by whom he is greatly revered. Through his teaching at Polly Street and at the Jubilee Centre, as well as through his personal example of integrity, dedication and ability, he inspired and guided students who in their own right became outstanding artists, for example, Ezrom Legae, Leonard Matsoso and Louis Maqhubela
From 1969 onward, he allied himself with Linda Givon, founder of The Goodman Gallery in Johannesburg, where he exhibited regularly until his death in December 1988. Working with Givon also perpetuated his associations with his many friends of strong principles. Skotnes, Villa, Legae and later such peers from the Polly Street era as Leonard Matsoso, Durant Sihlali and David Koloane have all exhibited at The Goodman Gallery. Kumalo, Legae, and later Fikile (Magadlela) and Dumile (Feni) were among the leading exponents of a new Afrocentric art, which provided a powerful voice for the anger and desperation of many South Africans. His work can be found today in every major museum and academic collection in South Africa, and thanks to its wide exposure abroad, has been sold to museums and collectors in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Holland, Israel, the United States of America, Canada, Germany, Colombia, Australia, Italy and Belgium. It is a great tribute to Kumalo that he was so celebrated in his lifetime, and his many bronzes in public collections will continue his influence for many generations.
Young contemporary artists such as Vincent Baloyi and Peter Shange count him as their single strongest influence. Percy Konqobe, one of today's leading South African sculptors, credits Kumalo as his inspiration, mentor, teacher, and source of legends which motivate much of his work.
Sydney Kumalo received a number of awards throughout his career; he was invited to the ‘Artists of Fame and Promise Exhibition’ in 1960, and in 1967 he won a travel bursary from the Transvaal Academy, travelling to Europe in 1967 and to the USA in 1985. His work was included in the Cape Town Triennial in 1985, and in a number of significant South African exhibitions, such as ‘The Neglected Tradition Exhibition’, held at the Johannesburg Art Gallery in 1988.
Regarding the impact Kumalo had on the South African art scene, De Jager writes:
Kumalo is held in high esteem by all his fellow South African artists and the art community of South Africa.
- Creator:Sydney Kumalo (1935 - 1988)
- Creation Year:20th.c
- Dimensions:Height: 9.5 in (24.13 cm)Width: 4.25 in (10.8 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:good. minor wear.
- Gallery Location:Surfside, FL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU38215066602
About the Seller
4.9
Platinum Seller
Premium sellers with a 4.7+ rating and 24-hour response times
Established in 1995
1stDibs seller since 2014
1,786 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: <1 hour
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Surfside, FL
- Return Policy
Authenticity Guarantee
In the unlikely event there’s an issue with an item’s authenticity, contact us within 1 year for a full refund. DetailsMoney-Back Guarantee
If your item is not as described, is damaged in transit, or does not arrive, contact us within 7 days for a full refund. Details24-Hour Cancellation
You have a 24-hour grace period in which to reconsider your purchase, with no questions asked.Vetted Professional Sellers
Our world-class sellers must adhere to strict standards for service and quality, maintaining the integrity of our listings.Price-Match Guarantee
If you find that a seller listed the same item for a lower price elsewhere, we’ll match it.Trusted Global Delivery
Our best-in-class carrier network provides specialized shipping options worldwide, including custom delivery.More From This Seller
View AllIsraeli Bronze Modernist Sculpture Pregnant Woman Abstract Figure Safed, Ein-Hod
By Victor Halvani
Located in Surfside, FL
From a limited edition. an abstract elongated art deco form of a mother with child.
signed on bottom of wooden base and etched into bronze.
Victor Halvani no doubt had an enchanted childhood. A warm loving Jewish family. His father a judge, his mother, descendent from a rabbinic family, was a great storyteller who transformed the heroes of the Bible into her child’s best friends. A small village at the base of the pyramids of Giza, school trips to the Valley of the Kings in Aswan. Ancient Egyptian art looking at the dreamy child from every corner. Given the chance to look back, it becomes clear that Victor’s lifelong dream – to become an artist, had it’s beginnings right there – in the child dreaming at the Nile.
Victor Halvany was born in 1930 to Bella and Yitzchak (OBM). Soaked in that enchanted childhood atmosphere, Victor found himself spending hours and days in the Cairo museum of art, looking at the exhibits and drawing them with intensity and enthusiasm. His inspiration filled drawings caught the eye of his teachers and with there encouragement he entered a national competition in which he won first place. This lead to him winning a full scholarship at the art faculty in Zamalek and at the Cairo University. Full of hopes and dreams he began his studies, only to be interrupted after one year. The Israeli war of independence began and subsequently the pogroms, and the urgent need of Egyptian Jews to emigrate, going first to France and than to Israel. Victor’s first years in Israel were years of struggle for survival, but simultaneously years of activity and progress. In 1950, while serving in the army, Victor met Margalit, the women at his side, mother of his children and the most present character in his career of activity and art. With Margalit’s encouragement and support he not only raised a family, fathering two boys and a girl, but also fulfilled his dream and was fortunate to have a full and inspiring career- as a person, artist, and teacher. Today, in his advanced age, Victor continues his daily activities: creates, plans, exhibits, and as always – open-minded, curious, learning, getting updated.
1953 – Received scholarship and year of study at Bezalel School of art and design in Jerusalem.
1956 – Finished education studies and received BA in education. Tel Aviv art teachers college.
1969 – Scholarship to study abroad for a year at Hammersmith College of art & building in London, graduating cum laude.
1970 – Received MA in art education and sculpture.
2015 – Participation in the sculpture exhibit at the Mamilla mall promenade in Jerusalem. Sculptures exhibited:
“David with harp”, “Mother playing with child”, “Yuval father of harp players”
2014 – Participation in sculpture exhibit at the Mamilla Mall Promenade in Jerusalem, sculptures exhibited:
“Ruth and Naomi” “David playing harp”, “Girl with gazelle”
2013 – Ein Hod, Yemini sculpture garden, at main entrance to artist’s colony, sculpture exhibited “David playing the harp”.
2012 – Opening of “Art exhibit- Victor Halvani”. At the Halvani residence in Ein Hod, exhibits large collection of sculptures and prints. Visits by appointment.
2011 – Safed, “The Shofar” art project, exhibited at “Safed liberation square”, at main entrance to the city, in the presence of the mayor and representatives of U.S. donors.
2010 – Safed, “The Spies” art project placed, and square named Halvani, at southern entrance to the city of Safed, in presence of the Mayor, Ilan Shochet, and representatives of U.S. donors.
2001 – Participation in international exhibit in San Francisco, U.S.
2001 – Katzrin, Ramat Hagolan, Exhibit of sculptures “Mother playing with child”, “Hope for peace”, and “David with slingshot”, around the city.
2000 – New York, U.S. – International millennium art expo – exhibited “The Hope”.
1999 – Safed, completion of phase 2 of Victor Halvani sculpture garden in Oranim neighborhood.
1998 – Bennington, U.S. – Solo exhibit with collection of bronze sculptures at Bennington art center.
1997 – Stillwater, Oklahoma, U.S. – Placement of sculpture “David playing the harp” at the entrance to Seretean art center at the University of Oklahoma.
1996 – Miami, Florida, U.S., Center for international exhibits – solo exhibit, selection of bronze sculptures.
1995 – West Bloomfield, Michigan, U.S. – Placement of sculpture “David playing harp” at the Reform Jewish Cultural Center park.
1995 – Boston, U.S. – placement of sculpture “David playing harp” at Stanley & Barbara Young...
Category
20th Century Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Latin American Art Figurative Abstract Bronze Sculpture Lovers Marcelo Morandin
Located in Surfside, FL
Marcelo Morandin 1933-1996
Untitled (Embracing Couple, Lovers)
Bronze 1988; ed. P/E; Hand signed, dated and editioned to lower edge DImensions: 48.5 x 32 x 21 cm / 18.8 x 12.5 x 8.2 inches (approximately)
PAREJA, Bronce, patinado
Marcelo Morandin (1933 - 1996) was active/lived in Argentina, Mexico.
Argentinian, Mexican Postwar & Contemporary sculptor Morandin is best known for his monumental sculpture. This is a wonderful, art deco inspired nude couple, the woman appears pregnant).
Marcello Morandín (Marcelo Román Morandín Paroni) was born in 1933 in Argentina. He was an important plastic artist and Argentine architect, distinguished in Mexico for being an excellent sculptor and furniture designer. At the end of his studies at the Faculty of Architecture of Buenos Aires, Argentina, he traveled to Mexico and settled in Xalapa, Veracruz. In this city he was part of several artistic projects and noted for being one of the founders of the Department of Aesthetic Research and Applied Design at the University of Veracruz, as well as the Department of Aesthetic Research at UNAM. Between the years 80 and 90, he carried out several monumental works, among them "La pigeon de la paz" a project for the UN; "The foundation of Tenochtitlan" located in front of the Official Residence of Los Pinos; and "The Kinetic Tower" Of the government of Veracruz that combines the light and the sound with diverse moving parts to the compass of the music of Arnold Schoenberg. (Lily Kassner. Dictionary of Mexican sculptors of the twentieth century. Volume II. Mexico. Conaculta, 1997). Similar in style to Israeli artists Aharon Bezalel and Isaac Kahn.
He has shown with Jose Villalobos, Nicolas Moreno, Pedro...
Category
1980s Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Kinetic Bronze Expressionist Sculpture Skier or Surfer Modernist Sporting Figure
Located in Surfside, FL
Vintage stylized figural sculpture by J James Akston (1898-1983 Poland/New York/Florida) Crafted of cast bronze with a rich dark brown patina. A sports figure, depicting a snow skii...
Category
Mid-20th Century Surrealist Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Chester Williams, Black Artist, Abstract Bronze, Wood African American Sculpture
Located in Surfside, FL
Chester L. Williams
Label on bottom, signed. Title: Promethium
Medium: Bronze, Aluminum and wood.
Approx. dimensions: 12 X 11 X 4 inches.
Chester Lee Williams (1944-1919) was born in 1944, in Durham, North Carolina. Chester cultivated a creative mind that eventually led him to pursue an education in fine arts and sculpture at North Carolina Central University (BA) and the University of Michigan (MFA). In 1974, he made his way to Tallahassee and started instructing at FAMU. Students at the university have a deep appreciation for the jazz lover’s insight and skill. A lifelong artist, Chester's work has been featured in galleries and publications across the country. The body of his work produced over 45 years has evolved from smooth and supple sculptures into the more angular and defiant shapes seen in his later works. Chester has said: "All of the works are me. I still embrace every one of them." Chester enjoyed traveling and exploring different cultures. His art was influenced by his travel and knowledge of African culture. He was an educator for 37 years, teaching at Voorhees College, North Carolina Central University and Florida A&M University before retiring in 2011.
He sold his first piece of art in the ninth grade to his homeroom teacher. (That early sale paid off — years later, that teacher’s husband, the president of a bank, commissioned Williams to create a sculpture for the bank’s lobby...
Category
20th Century Abstract Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Metal, Bronze
Bronze Modernist Biomorphic Sculpture Horse, Stand Colin Webster Watson Art Deco
Located in Surfside, FL
Colin Webster Watson (1926-2007, New Zealand), sleeping horse, sculpture, bronze, supported on wooden base, signed, AP
Sculpture Of A Suspended Horse
Colin Webster-Watson (1926, Pa...
Category
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Large Bronze Modernist Biomorphic Sculpture Abstract Bird Colin Webster Watson
Located in Surfside, FL
Colin Webster Watson (1926-2007).
A patinated cast bronze sculpture of a stylized bird with a steel ring.
Signed, numbered and dated (1985). With a Tallix foundry mark.
Measu...
Category
1970s Modern Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Bronze, Stainless Steel
You May Also Like
Modernist Female Figural Bronze Sculpture in Style of Sydney Kumalo
Located in Studio City, CA
A wonderful Mid-Century Modernist Abstract sculpture of a female figure in the style of/attributed to renowned South African sculptor/ artist Sydney Kumalo...
Category
20th Century South African Mid-Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Amanda I - One-of-a-kind Original Female Abstract Nude Cubism Bronze Sculpture
By Nando Kallweit
Located in Los Angeles, CA
German sculptor Nando Kallweit produces figurative bronze sculptures and reliefs with aquiline and a graceful modern appeal. Kallweit is inspired by seemingly disparate cultures; the strength of ancient Egyptian sculptures...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Metal, Bronze
David Hostetler Bronze Sculpture African Figurative Female By Commission
By David Hostetler
Located in Nantucket, MA
Tribal Figure is a bronze cast from a wood carving. The bronze base is cast from an antique mill stone and it is attached to a steel disk to bolt do...
Category
1990s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Trisha I - Elegant Original Figurative Bronze Sculpture
By Nando Kallweit
Located in Los Angeles, CA
German sculptor Nando Kallweit produces figurative bronze sculptures and reliefs with aquiline and a graceful modern appeal. Kallweit is inspired by seemingly disparate cultures; the strength of ancient Egyptian sculptures...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Metal, Bronze
David Hostetler Semaphore II Bronze Sculpture Abstract Female Pale Gold Frontal
By David Hostetler
Located in Nantucket, MA
Signature is along the bottom edge of the sculpture. The marble base can be substituted for steel for an outdoor setting. The edition is 1/24 with 2 artist proofs.
Semaphore Woman II...
Category
2010s Abstract Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
"Psique" contemporary bronze floor sculpture female figurative goddess of soul
Located in Kowloon, Hong Kong
Psique is a bronze sculpture with green patina, it is connected to a steel base. The edition size is 7. The sculpture will be shipped in wood crate to render maximum protection durin...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze, Steel
More Ways To Browse
Marble Figural Sculpture
Church Sculpture
20th Century Modernist Sculpture
African Bronze
Cast Bronze Marble Sculpture
Metal Figural Sculpture
Metal Figure Sculpture
African Wood Sculptures
Minimalist Metal Sculptures
High Relief Sculpture
Marble Female Sculpture
German Wood Figure
German Marble Sculpture
Mid Century Bronze 1960s Sculpture
Marble Sculpture Plinth
Italy Clay Sculptures
Bronze 1960 Mid Century Modern Sculptures
Bear Wood Sculpture