Fanizani Akuda, 1932–2011
Fanizani Akuda is one of the masters of Zimbabwe’s first generation of stone sculptors. He was born on 11 November 1932 in Zambia and moved to Zimbabwe in 1949 to work as a farm foreman.
In 1966, Fanizani moved with a friend to a farm in Tengenenge. There he met Tom Blomfield and joined the now world-famous Tengenenge Art Community.
Smiling figures, joyful families, and interactions between humans and animals — often in pairs or groups — became his signature themes. His distinctive “slit eyes” are one of his most recognizable trademarks.
Akuda achieved tremendous international exposure and exhibited in many of the world’s most important museums, including MoMA, the Centre Georges Pompidou, and the Rodin Museum. He traveled widely for exhibitions and workshops in Germany, Denmark, the USA, Holland, Sweden, Cuba, Australia, and many other countries.
source: “Sculptors from Zimbabwe” (2001) – Ben Joosten