Richard Mteki

Richard Mteki, a member of the Shona tribe, was born in Harare in 1947.  His elder brother was one of the first Zimbabwean sculptors whose work astounded the international art world when it first emerged following the creation of the workshop school at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in 1957.

As was common at the time, Mteki’s education did not extend beyond primary school.  He did, however, display a talent for painting, and even before he left primary school he had enrolled at the Nyarutsetse Art Centre established by the late Cannon Paterson.  Paterson was a pioneer in the promotion and encouragement of indigenous artistic talent in the country.  At the Art Centre, Richard continued to paint and it was there that he was introduced to sculpting.

Influenced by his brother’s example and success and following in his footsteps, Richard joined the Workshop School of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe.  It was the establishment of this school by the National Gallery’s first director Frank McEwen, which led to the emergence of the contemporary Zimbabwean stone sculpture style.  McEwen encouraged Richard, as he did several other talented artists, and it was during this period (the late 1960’s) that Richard’s work attracted public attention.  When McEwen resigned in 1973, Richard left the workshop school and since that time has worked independently.

As a sculptor, Mteki is now more productive and successful than his brother.  A public acknowledgement of his standing as a Zimbabwean artist of repute came in October, 1982, when one of his works was selected as the gift to be presented by Robert Mugabe, the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, to the Nigerian President on his state visit to that country.  Many other distinguished visitors and art collectors have acquired Mteki’s work, including a gift given to the late Indian Prime Minister, Rajiv Ghandi.

Mteki’s work has been extensively exhibited around the world and in several privately organized exhibitions of Zimbabwean stone sculpture in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Frankfurt and London.  His work has been sold to numerous private collectors throughout the world.