Lot 7 Euwit Nyanhongo
Euwitt Nyanhongo (Zimbabwean, born 1973)
Head, undated
Unsigned (original label on base)
Serpentine stone sculpture
12 x 10 x 19 cm
Ksh 70,000-120,000
(US$ 650-1,120)
Sold Ksh 129,140
Provenance: private collection
Euwitt Nyanhongo is the youngest son of Claud Nyanhongo, one of the pioneers of Shona stone sculpture. Under his father’s tuition he began developing his own sculptural practice from an early age.
Zimbabwean stone sculpture, known as Shona sculpture because the practice originated among people of the Shona tribe, has developed over the past 60 years into a highly refined and dynamic new sculptural tradition. Zimbabwe boasts a magnificent range of native stones and a particular feature of Shona sculpture is the responsive way in which artists hand carve – believing that the stones are not inanimate but have a spirit of their own which contributes to the final form.
Nyanhongo’s sensitive manipulation of material into human form is an expression of man’s affinity with nature and a reflection of his own deep connection to the Nyanga Mountains where he was raised.