Artists

Arthur Azevedo, born in 1935, was a highly considered Zimbabwean graphic artist and painter, but he is best known as one of Zimbabwe’s most important metal sculptors. He attended St Augustine College in Cape Town between 1950 and 1954, and on his return to Harare taught at Louis Mountbatten School. In 1956, he went to Rome to study Theology and Philosophy at the Pontifical Urban University ‘de Propaganda Fide’, with the intention of becoming a Roman Catholic priest. Whilst in Rome, he was taught painting by Gustovo Solimene. He abandoned his studies after six years and returned to Harare where he taught at St John’s School for many years, while continuing to produce artwork. Welded metal sculpture became his dominant medium from 1963. Made from scrap and found metal, his sculptures are carefully constructed and minimalist in design, capturing the spirit of his subjects through simplicity. Azevedo was a founding member of the Board of Trustees of Gallery Delta and the Foundation for Art and the Humanities, an organisation established to support and develop local artists. He participated in annual exhibitions at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe and internationally, produced numerous commissions and is represented in public collections in Zimbabwe.