Honoraris Causa In an article entitled "Rebirth of Zimbabwe Art" — (Herald, Friday 26th March 2010) this writer mentioned "the ambassadorial role undertaken by our prominent senior visual artists — promoting the country’s heritage worldwide".
Examples being Lazarus Takawira, Richard Mteki (Snr) and Tapfuma Gutsa, the current deputy director of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, alluded to them deserving national public honour for their contribution to Zimbabwe’s heritage.
In a latter article — (Friday 18th June 2010), Zimbabwean international visual artist, based in South Africa, "Tashinga Gondo bemoans lack of visual art training".
I referred to the fact that "our own Ministry of Education Sports Arts and Culture have not developed a comprehensive national tertiary visual arts syllabus in a country that is internationally acclaimed for its production of world-class art."
A proposed modus operandi today, would be to honour our artists academically, professionally and civically, as is the practice in many countries around the world.
On the premise of the latter, and in consultation with professional colleagues in visual arts practice and discourse in Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, the Gambia, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania as well as those in France, Germany, Spain, England, Italy, USA and Mexico (my contemporaries in world art critics associations).
It was suggested that professional artists curators and writers embark on a campaign to honour artists especially in Africa, where they have made a mammoth contribution to the contemporary "Tangible Heritage" and cultural memory bank of their respective countries, but have been largely ignored.
In Zimbabwe, which is known world-wide for its rich and unique artistic production, it is a crying shame that we have not honoured our eminent artists, who stand out and hold their own internationally.
For the uninitiated there are many examples of the practice of Honoraris Causa in contemporary art history. Some of which are as follows:
African-American sculptor Elizabeth Cutlett Mora, born April 1915, received an Honorary Doctorate from Pace University in New York, USA.
In 2003, she was a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award from the International Sculpture Centre. She is a Howard University alumni and a University of Iowa Alumni.
Similarly, British Artist Jean Frink (DBE, CH, RA), born 1930-1993, was one of five ‘Women of Achievement’ selected for a set of British stamps issued in August 1996. Three years after her death, she was also awarded the Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE), Order of the Companions of Honour (CH), AND Membership of the Royal Academicians of Great Britain (RA)
Joan Miro (I Ferra) born April 1893 — December 1983, was a Spanish Catalan painter, sculptor and ceramicist.
In 1980 he received "The Gold Medal of Fine Arts" from King Juan Carlos of Spain and a Doctorate Honorius Causa in 1979 from the University of Barcelona.
Subsequently, his painting "La Caresse des Etoiles" sold for US$17 million on May 5, 2008.
Pablo Diego Ruiz y Picasso born October 1881 — April 1973, Spanish painter, draughtsman, sculptor, who was largely self taught and whose works rank amongst the most expensive in the world, as of 2004, selling for a new record of US$104 million at Sotheby’s for the work "Garcon a la Pipe".
Picasso received the "International Lenin Peace Prize" in 1962, for his painting "Massacre in Korea", which was an outcry against war.
Dame Barbara Jocelyn Hepworth was made a Dame of the British Empire (DBE) in 1965, 10 years, before her death in May 1975.
In her honour, The Hepworth Wakefield Museum is currently under construction in Wakefield, Yorkshire, and it is anticipated to open its doors this year.
Kathe Schmidt Kollwitz, born July 1867 — April 1945, is a German painter, print maker and sculptor. In 1920, she was awarded a full professorship.
A regular state income and a spacious luxury studio for her contribution to German art.
In 1991, 45 years after her death, the Deutsche Bundespost honoured her on German stamps in the "Women in German History" philatelic series.
More recently in Mexico, Visual Artist Diego Riveira and Frieda Kahlo were honoured by the Mexican Government for their contribution, to Mexican culture.
Their government has issued a new 500 Mexican pesos bank note featuring the two artists.
Closer to home, we have similar arts luminaries.
A point in case being Tapfuma Gutsa, a world renowned Zimbabwean visual artist and visiting, lecturer at the University of Athens, Georgia USA.
His intellectual perspicacity has enriched Zimbabwe and the world’s, cultural iconography over close to three decades. He is also the first recipient of the "President’s Award of Honour" in 1995, at the Mobil/Anglo American Exhibitions in Zimbabwe, for "Consistent artistic excellence and outstanding dedication the development of Contemporary Visual Art of Zimbabwe".
It is only befitting that such luminary is awarded a Doctorate in the Arts, and an accompanying diplomatic passport to facilitate travels to World Art Expos, such as the Venice Biennale, the German Document and Art Basel Miami shows.
Perhaps, the scope of academic and civic accreditation should also be extended to the other arts disciplines, such as Film, Theatre, Music and Literature. Personalities such as Shimmer Chinodya, Charles Mungoshi, Virginia Moyo, Walter Mparutsa, Stephen Chifunyise, Oliver Mtukudzi, Chiwoniso Maraire, Lovemore Majaivana, Stella Chiweshe, Ambuya MaDube and Tsitsi Dangarembgwa, are but a few to mention, that are deserving of our honour.
We owe it to these and other artists, to bestow upon them the "Honoraries Causa", for their contribution to the arts and cultural land scape of Zimbabwe.
Dr Tony Monda is an art critic, writer and researcher. He can be contacted on tinono@yahoo.com
Examples being Lazarus Takawira, Richard Mteki (Snr) and Tapfuma Gutsa, the current deputy director of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, alluded to them deserving national public honour for their contribution to Zimbabwe’s heritage.
In a latter article — (Friday 18th June 2010), Zimbabwean international visual artist, based in South Africa, "Tashinga Gondo bemoans lack of visual art training".
I referred to the fact that "our own Ministry of Education Sports Arts and Culture have not developed a comprehensive national tertiary visual arts syllabus in a country that is internationally acclaimed for its production of world-class art."
A proposed modus operandi today, would be to honour our artists academically, professionally and civically, as is the practice in many countries around the world.
On the premise of the latter, and in consultation with professional colleagues in visual arts practice and discourse in Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, the Gambia, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania as well as those in France, Germany, Spain, England, Italy, USA and Mexico (my contemporaries in world art critics associations).
It was suggested that professional artists curators and writers embark on a campaign to honour artists especially in Africa, where they have made a mammoth contribution to the contemporary "Tangible Heritage" and cultural memory bank of their respective countries, but have been largely ignored.
In Zimbabwe, which is known world-wide for its rich and unique artistic production, it is a crying shame that we have not honoured our eminent artists, who stand out and hold their own internationally.
For the uninitiated there are many examples of the practice of Honoraris Causa in contemporary art history. Some of which are as follows:
African-American sculptor Elizabeth Cutlett Mora, born April 1915, received an Honorary Doctorate from Pace University in New York, USA.
In 2003, she was a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award from the International Sculpture Centre. She is a Howard University alumni and a University of Iowa Alumni.
Similarly, British Artist Jean Frink (DBE, CH, RA), born 1930-1993, was one of five ‘Women of Achievement’ selected for a set of British stamps issued in August 1996. Three years after her death, she was also awarded the Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE), Order of the Companions of Honour (CH), AND Membership of the Royal Academicians of Great Britain (RA)
Joan Miro (I Ferra) born April 1893 — December 1983, was a Spanish Catalan painter, sculptor and ceramicist.
In 1980 he received "The Gold Medal of Fine Arts" from King Juan Carlos of Spain and a Doctorate Honorius Causa in 1979 from the University of Barcelona.
Subsequently, his painting "La Caresse des Etoiles" sold for US$17 million on May 5, 2008.
Pablo Diego Ruiz y Picasso born October 1881 — April 1973, Spanish painter, draughtsman, sculptor, who was largely self taught and whose works rank amongst the most expensive in the world, as of 2004, selling for a new record of US$104 million at Sotheby’s for the work "Garcon a la Pipe".
Picasso received the "International Lenin Peace Prize" in 1962, for his painting "Massacre in Korea", which was an outcry against war.
Dame Barbara Jocelyn Hepworth was made a Dame of the British Empire (DBE) in 1965, 10 years, before her death in May 1975.
In her honour, The Hepworth Wakefield Museum is currently under construction in Wakefield, Yorkshire, and it is anticipated to open its doors this year.
Kathe Schmidt Kollwitz, born July 1867 — April 1945, is a German painter, print maker and sculptor. In 1920, she was awarded a full professorship.
A regular state income and a spacious luxury studio for her contribution to German art.
In 1991, 45 years after her death, the Deutsche Bundespost honoured her on German stamps in the "Women in German History" philatelic series.
More recently in Mexico, Visual Artist Diego Riveira and Frieda Kahlo were honoured by the Mexican Government for their contribution, to Mexican culture.
Their government has issued a new 500 Mexican pesos bank note featuring the two artists.
Closer to home, we have similar arts luminaries.
A point in case being Tapfuma Gutsa, a world renowned Zimbabwean visual artist and visiting, lecturer at the University of Athens, Georgia USA.
His intellectual perspicacity has enriched Zimbabwe and the world’s, cultural iconography over close to three decades. He is also the first recipient of the "President’s Award of Honour" in 1995, at the Mobil/Anglo American Exhibitions in Zimbabwe, for "Consistent artistic excellence and outstanding dedication the development of Contemporary Visual Art of Zimbabwe".
It is only befitting that such luminary is awarded a Doctorate in the Arts, and an accompanying diplomatic passport to facilitate travels to World Art Expos, such as the Venice Biennale, the German Document and Art Basel Miami shows.
Perhaps, the scope of academic and civic accreditation should also be extended to the other arts disciplines, such as Film, Theatre, Music and Literature. Personalities such as Shimmer Chinodya, Charles Mungoshi, Virginia Moyo, Walter Mparutsa, Stephen Chifunyise, Oliver Mtukudzi, Chiwoniso Maraire, Lovemore Majaivana, Stella Chiweshe, Ambuya MaDube and Tsitsi Dangarembgwa, are but a few to mention, that are deserving of our honour.
We owe it to these and other artists, to bestow upon them the "Honoraries Causa", for their contribution to the arts and cultural land scape of Zimbabwe.
Dr Tony Monda is an art critic, writer and researcher. He can be contacted on tinono@yahoo.com
No comments:
Post a Comment