Spectacular Art in Zimbabwe

Art from Zimbabwe dates back thousands of years to the San people who used the rock faces and caves across the country as a canvas for their unique and extraordinary art known as Bushmen paintings.  Today this small nation has produced so many outstanding world renowned artists, it would be impossible to list them all.  But they include stone sculptures, wood carvers, landscape and wildlife painters, photographers, singers and dancers.

Larry Norton Art

Larry Norton is an internationally recognised African Wildlife Artist. Born in Zimbabwe in 1963 he has had successful exhibitions around the world. Larry lives in Victoria Falls and has a Gallery at the Victoria Falls Hotel.Larry Norton works in oils, water colour, charcoal and pencil and specializes in Wildlife art and African landscape especially Victoria Falls.

Shona stone sculpture is now widely recognized as one of the most significant art movements to have evolved in recent times.These carvings, in a variety of different stones, are made by the Shona people of Zimbabwe for whom stone carving is not a traditional craft. Started experimentally about 35 years ago it is now widely recognized as one of the most significant art movements to have evolved in recent times. Zimbabwean art sculptors talk about the way in which they free a shape from within the stone and the influence of the tribal spirits on their work.
Shona Soapstone Family They believe that each work of art finds its way to a predestined owner and that in some way makes the owner part of an extended global family.
The sculptures are wonderfully expressive, many of them portray a human message in a figurative or abstract manner and some of them convey emotional values such as family or the maternal bond. The “Ukama” sculptures are very popular and these are renditions of the family group- couples, dancers, loving families. They symbolize the family bond that is so important to the Shone people. In pieces representing a mother and child the bodies and arms are joined to emphasize the strength and longevity of these relationships.

Zimbabweans carve some of the the finest Wooden carvings you will find anywhere in Africa. They are extraordinarily talented.
Many of the ironwood carvings found in Zimbabwe are of African wildlife. Many of the carvings are inimitable feature pieces, exquisitely hand carved and imbued with the indefinably mystique of Africa.

Many of the carvings are of traditional heads and come in a great variety of sizes and styles. Many different woods are used such as olive, mukwa, fresh teak and pod mahogany. You will also find many carved animals such as buffalo, giraffe, tortoise, crocodile, hippos and warthogs.