Adam Madebe (born 1954) is a visual artist, frequently credited as one of Zimbabwe's most known sculptors working in metal. He lives and works in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Early life and education

Adam Madebe was born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. While training at Mzilikazi Art & Craft Centre, he began sculpting figurines in clay. Around 1970, metal became his chosen medium to realise his desire to make larger works. He subsequently became an art instructor at Mzilikazi Art & Craft Centre, teaching ceramics from 1974 through 1992.

Career

Madebe began sculpting in 1982 and has earned many awards for his works, including the notable President’s Award for Excellence in 1994. His sculptures, which are often life-size or larger, are part of prestigious collections across the world with some of his works such as his Fallen Warrior shown at the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

, still used as case studies for fine art students in Zimbabwe today. He has received commissions for public sculptures in Zimbabwe, South Africa and Botswana, including a brass sculpture of

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

(2015), unveiled in Rustenburg. The subject of an educational television programme made for Channel 4, he is known primarily for his figurative work, but has also achieved great acclaim for his semi-figurative and conceptual work such as 'Hot Seat' (1989). This and other works by this artist were shown at the 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair in

Somerset House Somerset House is a large Neoclassical complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle was built on the site of a Tudor palace ("O ...

in London in October 2015.

Workshops

Adam Madebe participated in the 1989 Pachipamwe II Workshop held at Cyrene Mission outside Bulawayo, Zimbabwe alongside the successful artists

Joram Mariga Joram Mariga has been called (and believed himself to be) the “Father of Zimbabwean Sculpture” because of his influence on the local artistic community starting in the 1950s and continuing until his death in 2000. The sculptural movement of whi ...

Bernard Matemera Bernard Matemera (14 January 1946 – 4 March 2002) was a Zimbabwean sculptor. The sculptural movement of which he was part is usually referred to as "Shona sculpture" (see Shona art and Art of Zimbabwe), although some of its recognised members ...

, Bill Ainslie, Voti Thebe, Sokari Douglas Camp and

David Koloane David Nthubu Koloane (5 June 1938 – 30 June 2019) was a South African artist. In his drawings, paintings and collages he explored questions about political injustice and human rights. Koloane is considered to have been "an influential artist ...

. He was then invited by the Triangle Arts Trust to attend their annual workshop in Pine Plains, New York State in 1990 and in 1995 attended an International Artists Workshop at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

Controversy

In 1985, Adam Madebe won the Tower Gardens Sculpture Competition in Bulawayo with his figurative 3.5 metre tall sculpture, 'Looking To The Future'. This male nude work generated significant local discussion about its suitability for public display in a somewhat conservative country. It was summarily removed from the Gardens. Later displayed within the internal Gallery courtyard of the magnificent fully renovated

National Gallery of Zimbabwe The National Gallery of Zimbabwe (NGZ) is a gallery in Harare, Zimbabwe, dedicated to the presentation and conservation of Zimbabwe's contemporary art and visual heritage. The original National Gallery of Rhodesia was designed and directed by ...

at Douslin House, it again fell foul of local governmental censorship in 2010 and once again remains hidden with a storeroom.

Awards

1st prize Tower Gardens Sculpture Competition, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe with 'Looking To The Future' 1st Prize, WeldArt 87, Harare, Zimbabwe, with 'Jacket' Award Of Merit, Zimbabwe Heritage Exhibition 1988, Harare, Zimbabwe with ' Contemplation' 2nd Prize, WeldArt 89, Harare, Zimbabwe, with 'Togetherness' Award Of Merit, Zimbabwe Heritage Exhibition, Harare, Zimbabwe with 'Hot Seat' President's Award Of Honour, Zimbabwe Heritage, Harare, Zimbabwe 1994

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Madebe, Adam 20th-century Zimbabwean sculptors 21st-century Zimbabwean sculptors 1954 births Living people Zimbabwean emigrants to South Africa