John Takawira

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John Takawira (1938-March, 1989) was a Zimbabwean sculptor.

Takawira was born in Chegutu, but grew up in Nyanga. He was deeply influenced by his mother, as was his brother, Bernard, and retained many elements of his traditional upbringing throughout his life.

At the age of twenty, Takawira was led to sculpture by his uncle, the sculptor Joram Mariga. Almost immediately he was noticed by Frank McEwen, who invited him to become among the first members of the Workshop School; from 1963 his work was shown at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe. When the school moved to Vukutu in 1969, Takawira followed, becoming one of its most important figures.

When in 1971 McEwen organized a showing of work by the Gallery artists at the Musée Rodin in Paris, Takawira contributed his sculpture Skeletal Baboon. The piece was an enormous success, being called by Charles Ratton the finest art to emerge from Africa in the twentieth century. Almost immediately Takawira's international reputation was made.

Takawira worked mainly in dark springstone, and drew his subjects from traditional Shona sources; women were a particular favorite, which he returned to throughout his life. He was among the first Zimbabwean sculptors to combine polished areas with rougher stone on the surface of his sculptures. More of his works are in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe than those of any other artist.

Takawira died suddenly in 1989. His son Gerald Takawira also became a sculptor.