Today we are pleased to publish the recipient citations for #NAMA Legends @40 in their alphabetical order. This follows a huge interest from readers regarding the List of 40 artists across six or so arts disciplines. According to the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, all the 40 recipients were deserving and worthy of the recognition although some people felt the list was less convincing with some names of artists who are not on the list being thrown around. As Gem Nation News we will be publishing at least two artists’ citation per day beginning today.

Adam Madebe

Visual Arts

Adam Madebe was born in Bulawayo in 1954 and trained at Mzilikazi Arts and Craft Centre where he began sculpting figurines in clay. Around 1970, metal became his chosen medium to realise his desire to make larger works. Madebe began sculpting in metal in 1982, following a workshop sponsored by Oxyco. Frustrated by the limitations of scale available to him in ceramic sculpture.

Adam consequently developed and pioneered a method to create life and larger than lifesize works, welding metal over wet clay, later evacuated, to leave a hollow figureand has earned many awards for his works. He is credited as one of Zimbabwe’s most known sculptors working in metal. He subsequently became an art instructor at Mzilikazi Art & Craft Centre, teaching ceramics from 1974 through to 1992.

Madebe’s 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, 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 unveiled in Rustenburg in 2015.

Madebe is known primarily for his figurative work, but has also achieved great acclaim for his semi-figurative and conceptual work such as ‘Hot Seat’ in 1989. Madebe participated in the 1989 Pachipamwe II Workshop held at Cyrene Mission outside Bulawayo alongside other successful artists such as Joram Mariga, Bernard Matemera, Bill Ainslie, Voti Thebe, Sokari Douglas Camp and David Koloane. 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.

Madebe won the 1st prize in the Tower Gardens Sculpture Competition in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe with ‘Looking to The Future’ in 1985 and his sculpture with ‘Jacket’ bagged the first prize at WeldArt 1987 at the National Art Gallery in Harare. He was also a recipient of the Award Of Merit at the Zimbabwe Heritage Exhibition in 1988 with his piece ‘ Contemplation’. ‘Togetherness’ earned him the 2nd Prize at WeldArt at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in 1989. He also earned the “Award of Merit” at the Zimbabwe Heritage Exhibition with the ‘Hot Seat’. He was also a recipient of the President’s Award of Honour at the 1994 Zimbabwe Heritage Exhibition.

In 2000 Adam was filmed in an educational programme for Channel 4, creating figurative work using the method described above. His famous sculpture of Kgosi Mogale stands at the entrance of the Kedar Country Hotel and he was also commissioned to make a sculpture of a Miner in Krugersdorp in 2005.

Madebe has participated at a plethora of international exhibitions including Madebe has participated at the Art From The Frontline Glasgow Salford and Dublin (1990), Pauline Podbrey Gallery, London 1992 and 1993, Matabele Metal Aberdeen Art Gallery 1992 WeldArt Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery 1993, WeldArt Belfast City Gallery 1994 Johannesburg Biennale 1995, A Garden For Africa British Museum London 2005, Transitions SOAS London 2005, Terre Noire Musee Departmental Maurice Denis 2007 and Art Center Hugo Voeten in 2012.