David Barnett Gallery Figurative Sculptures

This flat shadow puppet was created by an unknown Indonesian artist using water buffalo hide. This shadow puppet, 18 1/2" high with movable arms, was use...

This flat shadow puppet was created by an unknown Indonesian artist. This shadow puppet, 19" high, was used in Indonesian Wayang puppet shows. Wayang (Krama Javanese: Ringgit ꦫꦶꦁꦒꦶ...

"Wall Piece with Figure" is a ceramic sculpture made with Terra Sigillata by Christine LePage. It features a figure in the left half and an abstract ge...

This flat shadow puppet was created by an unknown Indonesian artist. This shadow puppet, 32" high and 9" wide with movable, was used in Indonesian Wayang puppet shows. Wayang (Kram...

"Bear & Chief" is a light green Brazilian soapstone sculpture by Todd Longboat. The artist signed the piece on the bottom. This piece depicts the face of a Native American chief transitioning out of the head of a bear. 11" x 9 3/8" x 4 1/8" sculpture Todd Longoboat is from the Six Nations...

This mask was hand-carved by an unknown artist from the Mende tribe in Sierra Leone, Africa. It depicts a face with its eyes downcast, hair in rows, and two birds on the top. 16" x 10" x 10 1/2" The Mende people (also spelled Mendi) are one of the two largest ethnic groups in Sierra Leone. The Mende are mostly farmers and hunters. Much Mandé art is in the form of jewelry and carvings. The masks associated with the fraternal and sorority associations of the Marka and the Mendé are probably the best-known, and finely crafted in the region. The Mandé also produce beautifully woven fabrics which are popular throughout western Africa, and gold and silver necklaces, bracelets, armlets, and earrings. Masks are the collective Mind of Mende community; viewed as one body, they are the Spirit of the Mende people. The Mende mask...

"Spirit Medium" is a stone sculpture made with yellow opal, green jade, and opaline by Aaron Perkins Chikumbirike. This sculpture is signed and depicts a f...

"Mermaid" is a unique springstone sculpture by the Shona artist Farai Darare. It depicts a woman's face and an abstracted body that loops around to frame an oval of negative space. This piece is expertly carved to showcase two textures from the same stone. This sculpture weighs 30 pounds (approximately 13.6 kg). 16 3/4" x 8" x 5 1/4" art 30 lbs Farai Walter Darare started working as a washer and polisher for his father's sculptures when he was seven years old. He worked and studied under the renowned Shona sculptors Chikumbirike, Runyanga, Muropa, and his father Casper Darare...

"Shona Chief" is an original serpentine sculpture signed by the artist Chemedu Jemali. This sculptor works in the Shona tradition of Zimbabwe. The sculpture depicts an abstracted head of a man and weighs 95 lbs. The signature is on the back. 25" x 12" x 10" sculpture 95 lbs. Chemedu Jemali was born on March 3, 1971 in Harare where he did his primary education. He and his family then moved to the Shamva township where he completed high school. His family is originally from Malawi and their totem is of the Miranzi (mouse). He started sculpting in 1990. He was taught to sculpt by his brother Chituwa Jemali. He has three brothers and one sister. In the early 1990's, Chemedu took an interest in carving, inspired by the success of his older brother, Chituwa, and became an established carver. Initially, he worked as an apprentice to Chituwa who introduced him to carving the local hard stone such as verdite, springstone, cobalt and lemon opal. His brother, Salim, is also a full time sculptor. Chemedu produces abstract creations of various themes - from spirit birds to stylized busts. He has become a well known artist in the Shona Art...

"My New Hairstyle" is an original signed springstone sculpture by the Shona artist Witness Bonjesi. It depicts an elongated female face with textured hair and weighs 150 lbs. 40" x...

"Newborn Child" is a signed springstone sculpture by Shona artist Tafadzwa Mandala. It weighs approximately 90 pounds and depicts a robed mot...

"New Hair Style" is an original springstone sculpture by Shona artist Edgar Sahondo. It depicts a female head with an elongated neck and stylized hair and features. 21" x 10" x 9" sculpture Born in Guruve, Zimbabwe on August 13th, 1968, Edgar Sahondo attended Chakaodza Primary School and later his secondary education at St. Francis Mission School. During his high school years, Edgar was inspired to take up stone carving by Bernard Matemera...

"Judge" is a signed opal sculpture created by Shona artist Luckmore Joseph. It weighs 178lbs and was created in 2004. It depicts an abstracted face coming out of the natural stone. 43" x 15" x 11" sculpture, 178 pounds Luckmore Joseph was born in 1979. He was interested in drawing and weaving baskets before he started carving. Luckmore later found that carving was of paramount importance to him in 1999 when he was employed by Sydney Majengwa as his assistant. He first gained experience working on torsos, then later embarked on creations of street beggars and pregnant women, varying the styles. Luckmore gets the subjects for his sculptures after seeing the shape of the natural stone before he works on it. His sculptures carry messages to people and explain the daily routines of people like him. He carves because he wants people to know the good and the bad, the comedy and tragedy in life circles. His philosophy has directed him to the subject issue of beggars. He wants to let people know that every country in the world has poor and rich people and both of them have the same equality and have the same right to life. Carving has become a way of life for Luckmore, and he never can leave it for very long. When he is not working, he enjoys playing football. 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...

"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...

"King with Two Tribesmen" is a bronze relief sculpture from the Nigeria-Benin area tribe. It depicts three figures: two tribesmen on the left a...

A pair of African carved wood and cloth ancestral figures from Nigeria. Purchase as a set. Male size: 77" x 11" x 11" Female size: 80" x 21" x 20"