<p>Born in 1967 in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe, Gedion Nyanhongo has been critically acclaimed as one of the top stone sculptors in the world today. He comes from a family of famous sculptors that includes his father, Claude, and sister, Agnes. A protégé of the late master sculptor Joseph Ndandarika, Nyanhongo shot to stardom in the early 1990s. He has since established himself as a major world talent, spending long periods away from his home in Zimbabwe at regular exhibitions in Europe and America.</p> <p>Gedion Nyanhongo’s work is a revival of the realist, neo-figurative work that characterized much of Zimbabwean sculpture in the 1970s. For more than a decade, Gedion has refined this style and made it his own – marked by fully animated human, animal and spiritual figures. Cultural themes emerge from his work, revealing a remarkable ability to chronicle the contemporary landscapes of both urban and rural Africa. Elegantly sculpted facial features, hands and flowing hair highlight many of Nyanhongo’s masterpieces, making his work some of the most striking contemporary sculpture today. </p> <p><strong>Exhibition History</strong></p> <p><li>1989 Mabwe Gallery, Emerging Talents of the 80s – Zimbabwe </li> <li>1990 Mabwe Gallery, Inauguration Show – Zimbabwe</li> <li>1990-1995 National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Heritage Exhibition – Zimbabwe</li> <li>1992 John Boyne Gallery, Solo Exhibition - Zimbabwe</li> <li>1992-1995 Contemporary Fine Art Gallery, Talking Stones I, II, IV, V – Eton,UK</li> <li>1993 Modern Sculptures aus Zimbabwe – Freudenstadt, Germany</li> <li>1993 Le Gallerie Gramme – Paris, France</li> <li>1993 Pacific Place, Hong Kong</li> <li>1994 Millfield School – Somerset, UK</li> <li>1994 Sculpturer aus Zimbabwe – Hamburg, Germany</li> <li>1994 Chapungu Sculpture Park, Annual Exhibition – Zimbabwe</li> <li>1994 Bilder-Lanf Gallery – Freudenstadt, Germany</li> <li>1995 Barbara Ackerman Gallery – Los Angeles, CA</li> <li>1995 C.C.A. Gallery, Sculpture from Zimbabwe – London </li> <li>1995 Westfallen Park – Dortmund, Germany</li> <li>1995 Reece Gallery – New York</li> <li>1996 CFA Gallery – Eton, UK</li> <li>1997 World Art Foundation – Netherlands</li> <li>1997 Chapungu Sculpture Park, Solo Exhibition – Zimbabwe</li> <li>1998 Kristenbosch Botanical Garden – Cape Town, South Africa</li> <li>1999 Philips Gallery – Carmel, CA</li> <li>2000 World Art Foundation – Netherlands</li> <li>2001 Art International – Freudenstadt, Germany</li> <li>2001 Gallerie Shona – Hamburg, Germany</li> <li>2002 Zuva Gallery – Scottsdale, AZ</li> <li>2002 Art Creations Africa – Switzerland</li> <li>2003 Zuva Gallery – Scottsdale, AZ</li> <li>2003 Chicago Botanical Garden – Chicago, IL</li> <li>2003 Royal Horticultural Society – Hyde Hall, Essex, UK</li> <li>2004 Denver Botanical Garden – Denver, CO</li> <li>2004 National Gallery of Zimbabwe – Harare, Zimbabwe</li> <li>2005 Zuva Gallery – Scottsdale, AZ</li> <li>2005 Franklin Park Conservatory – Columbus, OH</li> <li>2005 Philips Gallery – Carmel, CA</li> <li>2006 World Art House – Netherlands</li> <li>2006 Philips Gallery – Carmel, CA</li> <li>2007 Zuva Gallery – Scottsdale, AZ</li></p> <p><strong>Important Collections</strong></p> <p><li>National Gallery of Zimbabwe</li> <li>Chapungu Sculpture Park – Harare Zimbabwe</li> <li>Pacific Place – Hong Kong</li> <li>Council of Freudenstadt – Germany</li> <li>Former German Ambassador, Dr. Killian</li> <li>Westfallen Park – Dortmund, Germany</li> <li>Frankfurt City Council – Frankfurt, Germany</li> <li>L’Espace Nord-Sud – Gergovia, France</li> <li>Hartsfield International Airport – Atlanta, GA</li> <li>Clint Eastwood – Carmel, CA</li></p> <p><strong>Workshop and Lecture Experience</strong></p> <p><li>1995 Lectures of “The Origins of Stone Sculpting” – Germany</li> <li>1995 Zimbabwe- Germany Sculpture Workshop – Dortmund, Germany</li> <li>1995 Teaches stone sculpting – World Art Foundation, Netherlands</li> <li>1996 Lectures on “Family Values in Art” – Netherlands</li> <li>1998 Students from Germany, Holland and South Africa join Gedion Nyanhongo’s studio – Harare, Zimbabwe</li> <li>1998 Lectures of “Parenthood and Love” – South Africa</li> <li>2000 Belgian Students join Gedion Nyanhongo’s Studio – Harare, Zimbabwe</li> <li>2003 Sculpting Workshop – Chicago Botanical Garden, Chicago, IL</li> <li>2004 Sculpting Workshop – Denver Botanical Garden, Denver, CO</li> <li>2005 Sculpting Workshop – Franklin Park Conservatory, Columbus, OH</li></p> <p><strong>Chronology</strong></p> <p><li>1967 Born in Nyanga, Zimbabwe</li> <li>1975 Enrolls at Mazarura Primary School</li> <li>1981 Awarded two prizes at a school art competition</li> <li>1983 Moves to the capital city of Harare, Zimbabwe to help his father, well-know sculptor Claude Nyanhongo, to polish finished sculptures</li> <li>1986 Completes secondary education at Avila Mission School in Nyanga</li> <li>1988 Joins private gallery as tea boy/ messenger</li> <li>1988 Promoted to fixing and polishing stone sculpture</li> <li>1988 Begins sculpting his own work at his father’s studio and displays the finished pieces at the gallery</li> <li>1989 Works as an assistant to veteran stone sculptor Joseph Ndandarika</li> <li>1991 Gedion begins his solo career as a sculptor and joins Mabwe Gallery, in Harare, Zimbabwe as a resident artist</li> <li>1994 Award of Merit for Sculpture, Zimbabwe Heritage Exhibition, National Gallery of Zimbabwe</li></p> <p><strong>Selected Publications</strong></p> <li>1994 “Zimbabwe Stone Sculpture: The Second Generation” by Joceline Mawdsley, Chapungu Sculpture’s Park, Harare, Zimbabwe</li> <li>1997 “The Stone Sculptures of Zimbabwe” by Joceline Mawdsley, Chapungu Sculpture Park, Harare, Zimbabwe</li> <li>2002 “The Sculpture of Gedion Nyanhongo” by Maxwell Sibanda, Harare, Zimbabwe</li> <li>2002 “Sculptor speaks to sameness of people” by John Carlos Villani, Arizona Republic, Mar. 24, 2002</li> <li>2004 “Set in Stone: Agnes and Gedion Nyanhongo’s sculptures celebrate the joys of everyday” by Ruth Pennington Paget, Arts & Antiques, Dec. 2004</li> <li>2007 “Gedion Nyanhongo: Free Spirit” by Laurie Woofter, Art-Talk, Jan. 2007</li> <li>2007 “Artist’s sculptures alive with spirit” by Jim Crawford, Desert Advocate, Jan. 24, 2007<p.></li></p>