Bernard Matemera (1946 ? 2002)

Biography
Bernard Matemera was born in Zezuru, Zimbabwe in 1946. Rarely has an African artist achieved such acclaimed international status by creating contemporary art that is purely "Afro-centric". Such praise and recognition are more commonly reserved for those African artists who produce art that is comparable in content and form to established Western artistic standards.

Matemera's work jars the senses. His trademark figures juxtapose animal and human characteristics, often depicting creatures with only two or three toes and fingers. Archeologists have now confirmed that such a people once inhabited the northern parts of present day Zimbabwe. His work is therefore uniquely African and not otherworldly as even admiring art critics have noted. His imposing and powerful figures seem to stalk the viewer. They command attention.

Despite his legendary status, Matemera continued to live and work where he began sculpting at Tom Blomefield's famed Tengenenge farm. His 40-year sculpting career was highlighted by landmark group shows at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Rodin Museum in Paris. In recent years, his monumental sculptures received more critical acclaim than ever before with established Western art critics heralding Matemera as one of Africa's finest contributions to the world of contemporary art. A respected expert on the field of Zimbabwean sculpture, Celia Winter-Irving, said of Matemera's work: "There is in these sculptures an unspent power and reserve of energy. They speak of both the force within them and the force behind them. They are the product of great strength of mind as well as strength of hand; of strength of will as well as strength of physique. They are indeed a celebration of the monumental."

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