HENRY MUNYARADZI ,1992
Estimación (baja/alta) :
Notas : THE AUCTIONEER IS ONLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FRENCH INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THIS CATALOGUE. THE ENGLISH INFORMATION IS COURTESY TO THE ENGLISH SPEAKERS Henry Munyaradzi Henry born in Guruvu in 1931. His father, a spirit medium, left the family when Henry was one year old and never returned. His uncle brought up Henry in rural surroundings and Henry did not go to school. After serving as the village blacksmith, he worked on tobacco farms as a carpenter and tobacco grader. The 10th September 1967 marked a milestone in Henry´s life - one day he remembers vividly. Out of work, he was walking through the hills of The Great dyke of Zimbabwe when he heard the tapping of tools against stone. On investigation, he found men forming images from raw rock. He had stumbled upon the Tengenenge Sculpture Community where he was welcomed by Tom Blomefield and began to sculpt. He soon became one of the most significant members of this group and since his first exhibition at the National Gallery in 1968, he has taken part in many other exhibitions both locally and internationally. Henry became known as Henry of Tengenenge. The strength of his work lies in the purity of form - technique and imagery are honed down to pinpoint the essence of his subject in the simplest of terms. The confident lines and clear-cut geometric incisions have often been compared to Klee (an artist of whom Munyaradzi will never have heard) - but these symbols and his love for a finished product of great beauty and calm have been present in his work from the very beginning. His subject matter is taken from the natural world around him and only the intimate knowledge of this world can produce such minimal, but precise, expression. Being entirely self-taught his work blends the simplicity of the primitive with stylised sophistication. He greatly respects the stone he uses and is often inspired by the original shape. It is an intense relationship with the material as he works spontaneously, neither drawing nor measuring. Despite its apparent simplicity the work cannot be reproduced, and he constantly works to express in new ways his themes of contemplation and spirit in his relationship the natural world and with his personal Apostolic faith. Contemplation of stories in the Bible provides Munyaradzi with the powerful imagery of supplication, friendship, family ties and the security of paternal protection. Henry has become one of the world´s most widely known artists and his sculptures have been recognised with acclaim throughout the world. Following a very successful one-man exhibition in London in 1984, he was able to purchase his own farm. Henry has also participated in almost all group exhibitions around the world. Michael Shepherd, a respected London critic wrote, ´´Michelangelo´s spiritual ideal of the individual form waiting to be released from the individual stone is even more apparent here than in Michelangelo´s own marbles´´. Sadly Henry passed away on 27 February 1998.
