Title: Embraced

Artist: Raymond Chirambadare

Material: Opal Stone

Dimensions:  25" H x 11" W

Approximate Weight:

Raymond Chirambadaare was born on August 24, 1962 in Harare, Zimbabwe.

N.B. Ray Chirambadare was a contemporary Shona artist. The sculpture at hand, representing an encircling embrace, expressed the Shona values of love and family

In 1994, Princeton University purchased a large piece by Raymond Chirambdare which is permanently located in the lobby at the Woodrow Wilson School of International Affairs.  His work has been widely exhibited in South Africa, Auckland, New Z ealand, Sydney, Australis, Tokyo, London, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Washington, D.C., Princeton, NJ and Cambridge, MA

Raymond was on the path to becoming one of the great masters of Shona sculpture, but AIDS tragically cut his life short at the age of 34. He shared a workshop with three of his brothers and his sons, where he also mentored younger artists such as Nicholas Childhawu and Peter Gwisa This playful theme, which is found occasionally in Shona sculpture, creates a sculpture that is exemplary of the unplanned fusion of modernist line and traditional subject.