Story of National Gallery made a gem
THE history of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, which turns 60 this year, is colourful and mirrors a significant part of the country’s politics and culture from colonial times to the present.
In turn, the media has recorded this rich story over the years — providing the proverbial first draft of history.
Now a gem, a book marking the Diamond Anniversary of the institution, is set to crystalise this story as it recounts how the media covered the progression of art housed at the gallery over the past 60 years.
“Diamond Years: 60 Years of Art in the Media,” is a collaborative effort between Zimpapers and the National Gallery of Zimbabwe documenting the latter’s history.
Having been in existence for over a century, Zimpapers has rich archives from which the content of this particular publication was harve
sted.
The text seeks to portray the journey that the gallery has travelled over the past six decades as captured on the pages of The Herald, The Sunday Mail,
Chronicle and The Manica Post. It is a compilation of stories covering the gallery from the time it was opened to the time it celebrated its 60th birthday.
From a 1957 article highlighting that Queen Elizabeth would be officially opening the National Gallery in the then Rhodesia, to a 2017 story capturing how Zimbabwean art was doing well on the global scene, this book is jam-packed with the institution’s history.
Some interesting titbits: the Gallery was initially planned in the 1930s, but the outbreak of the Second World War impeded the colonial government’s involvement in its progress.
However, the idea was given new life when in 1943, Sir James McDonald, a friend and colleague of Cecil John Rhodes, left a bequest of 30 000 “in trust for the people of the colony” to establish an art gallery and art museum in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia.
According to the gallery’s own account, from the outset, the Gallery was conceived as a national institution, acting as the artistic representative not only for Southern Rhodesia, but also Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland, governed from 1953 to 1963 as a united Federation.
Salisbury City Council agreed to take full responsibility for overseeing the building, establishment and administration of the Gallery.
Named after the former colonial pioneer, Cecil John Rhodes, Rhodes National Gallery was opened to the public on 16th July, 1957, by Her Majesty, The Queen Mother who stated, in her opening address, that, “I trust that this centre of art, with your continued support and care, will radiate an influence which will enrich the lives of all who dwell in Rhodesia”.
Now the new book is set not only to recognise history, but also draw inspiration from it, with the black majority being at the centre.
“60 years ago, those pioneers believed that they could open a national gallery in the then Rhodesia so we hope that someone who reads this book can be inspired to do much more than what these pioneers did at that time,” chief executive of Zimpapers, Mr Pikirayi Deketeke said yesterday.
Zimpapers produced and financed the book with the content coming from the media house’s archives.
“These are stories that we wrote as Zimpapers in our different publications and we did the compilation in conjunction with the National Gallery.
“This is an idea that we discussed with the executive director of the National Gallery where she was talking about their 60th anniversary and we said why don’t we capture that from a media perspective and that is how we came up with this book.” In a separate interview with The Herald the National Gallery of Zimbabwe executive director Mrs Doreen Sibanda said the publication is a convenient piece of literature
“This would be of interest to people who are art lovers and those who might be doing research,” said Sibanda.
“It is so convenient because you have so much information in one place. It is like a whole library in one book.
“It encapsulates the story of the gallery from where it is coming from and all the things that have happened over the years, showing you the major artistes as well and what they have been doing over the last 60 years.”
The project that started in July 2017 after Zimpapers signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Gallery.
The select newspaper cuttings from the six decades — the 1950s to post2000, mirror the art society and state of affairs in colonial and post-colonial Zimbabwe, with each decade demonstrating the changes that took place.
The newspaper cuttings also depict the impact of leadership — from Frank McEwen to the current executive director Mrs Sibanda, and how each leader shaped the discipline, to ensure that Zimbabwe’s art remains relevant internationally.
The select newspaper cuttings that make up the book also show what it took for art to be an inclusive discipline for all races and gender.