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Figure Depicting a Man in Traditional Zulu Attire
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 |
| Name of Maker: |
Julius Mfethe |
| Ethnic Affiliation: |
Zulu |
| Date of Production: |
1996 |
| Locale: |
Port St. Johns, Transkei |
| Country: |
South Africa |
| Dimensions: |
h. 10.5 inches |
| Media: |
wood, pigment |
| Collector(s) / Donor(s): |
Marsha MacDowell and Kurt Dewhurst |
| MSUM Accession #: |
1997.96.17 |
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The Collector(s) / Donor(s)
Marsha MacDowell is the Head of the Folks Arts Division at Michigan State University Museum, and also serves as a member of the University's Department of Art faculty. Kurt Dewhurst is the Director of Michigan State University Museum, Curator in the Museum's Folks Arts Division, and a member of the English Department faculty at Michigan State University. Dewhurst and MacDowell, who often work as a team, made their first trip to South Africa in 1997. During their initial and subsequent trips to South Africa their long-standing research interests in both regional traditional arts and Native American basketmaking, beadwork, and carving traditions drew them to focus on similar genres of specific peoples situated in regions of South Africa. This object as well as a number of other pieces were collected for the Museum within the context of this field research.
Collector(s) / Donor(s) Statement
The Object(s)
Julius Mfethe is one of a new wave of South African wood carvers, producing works for the "art market." This type of carving, that juxtaposes "traditional" and "contemporary" themes dates back to at least the 1920s. According to art historian Gary van Wyk, Mfethe's "genre sculptures exhibit virtuosity in carving with a variety of woods, close observation, and meticulous execution." His subjects range widely, encompassing both rural genre subjects and such urban subjects as "Jockey on Horse," which was one of the works the artist entered in the "Vita Craft Now" exhibit, sponsored by First National Bank of South Africa in 1997. This sculpture depicts a Black South African wearing "traditional" Zulu garb, including a beaded necklace, sitting on a stool, holding a pot. It should be compared to the other piece by Mfethe collected by MacDowell and Dewhurst (1997.96.16) that is on view in the exhibition.
Further Information
Books and Articles
Steven Sack. The Neglected Tradition: Towards a New History of South African Art (1930-1988). Johannesburg: Johannesburg Art Gallery, 1988.
Doran Ross. "Masaego Johannes Segogela (portfolio)." African Arts 28 (1) 1995: 74-80.
Elza Miles. Land and Lives: A Story of Early Black Artists. Cape Town; Johannesburg: Human & Rousseau; Johannesburg Art Gallery, 1997.
Internet Resources
100 contemporary works from the Standard Bank African Art Collection
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