CAMBA is proud to be one of the country's premier providers of Shona sculptures. CAMBA’s sale of these unique sculptures benefits our many essential programs and services.

Exceptional Art at Affordable Prices
African art has received broad interest in recent years, and contemporary African art has become extremely popular. Zimbabwe, a southern African country whose name literally means “the house of stone,” is known for its remarkable stone sculptors. Some Shona sculptors are considered to be among the top sculptors in the world.

Semi-abstract sculptures created by artists of the country’s largest ethnic group can be found in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Musee Rodin in Paris, Queen Elizabeth II, the Rockefellers, the Rothschilds, the actor Danny Glover and other discerning art collectors.

The Shona sculptors' work is inspired by their deeply-held spiritual beliefs, folklore and daily life, and have in turn inspired many western artists. It is believed that Pablo Picasso may have been influenced by this art form. While modern in inspiration, their sculptures are created much as they were thousands of years ago. The sculptors use simple chisels to “release” the spirits of the stone. As the late Henry Munyaradzi, one of the most prominent sculptors explained, “The sculpture is already hidden in the stone--I just it let out.”

One of Brooklyn’s Artistic Treasures
CAMBA started selling these one-of-a-kind pieces to bring this extraordinary art form to our diverse community. CAMBA’s 1,500-square-foot gallery provides exhibition space for many Shona sculptures at a time, making it one of the most impressive collections in the United States.

Support for Artists and the Shona Art Form
CAMBA has supported this art form for more than 15 years through its purchases of sculpture by Zimbabwean artists. In recent years, a respected dealer of Shona sculpture who is from Zimbabwe, and has relationships with many of the artists whose sculptures we display, has purchased sculpture in consultation with CAMBA staff. These purchases allow CAMBA to offer them at reasonable prices and enable the artists to continue their artistic endeavors. Due to the political climate in Zimbabwe, and subsequent severe downturn in foreign tourists, there are fewer available avenues for artists to find a market for their work.