The stone sculptures
Dark stone in human forms.
Tips For Travellers — CC BY 2.0 · Unknown authorUnknown author — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Awinda — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lennox Brian Miller — CC BY-SA 4.0
The National Gallery of Zimbabwe is an art museum in central Harare, dedicated to the country's contemporary art and visual heritage. It is especially known for stone sculpture by Shona artists, alongside metal and wooden sculpture, paintings and drawings, and it is the best place in the capital to see this work. Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother opened it on 16 July 1957 as the National Gallery of Rhodesia. Its first director, the Briton Frank McEwen, is credited with bringing Shona sculpture to the spotlight. Queen Elizabeth II visited in 1991. It has branches in Bulawayo and Mutare, and sources name Raphael Chikukwa as executive director. You see a low modern building with columns and glass panels, a large coloured mural on its front, and a pool and stone sculptures before it. Inside is a tall hall of contemporary work, with changing exhibitions. More sculptures in dark stone, in human and animal forms, stand outside. The country's own name means houses of stone. The gallery is 0.6 km in a straight line north-west of central Harare, within walking distance. Exhibitions and hours change, so check before you go. Ask about photography and do not touch the sculptures. Watch your belongings in the city centre, and use a trusted car at night.
Dark stone in human forms.
A coloured panel on the front.
Changing contemporary shows.
Central Harare, Zimbabwe
Yes, it is a walk from central Harare.
Shona stone sculpture, along with the changing shows.