Celebrity billionaire Jay Z in from of The Tengwe Farms, by Moffat Takadiwa, at his Roc Nation Offices in Los Angeles. (image: Renell Medrano for the New York Times) by artweb The recent auction performance of Zimbabwean painter Portia Zvavahera has once again brought international attention to the country's contemporary art market. Yet behind every headline-making auction result lies a much larger and often less visible network of collectors, galleries, museums, foundations

Portia Zvavahera- This is where I travelled (3) mixed media on canvas (sold for GBP 307,200 at Christie's London) by artweb On 14 October 2026, Zimbabwean contemporary artist Portia Zvavahera reached another important milestone in her international career when her painting This is where I travelled 3 (2020) sold for £307,200 (approximately US$406,200) at Christie's London, establishing a new personal world auction record. Offered as part of Monsoon: The Peter Simon Collection

Loft 3 Gallery space in Harare (image - web) In just a few years since its establishment, Loft 3 Gallery, has emerged as an increasingly visible participant in the international art market. Its latest appearance at Art Market Budapest in Hungary, taking place from 15 to 18 October 2026, marks another significant milestone in the gallery's ambitious international expansion. Led by founder and director Peter Morrisby, Loft 3 Gallery presenting a selection of artists associated

by artweb Harare's contemporary art scene is preparing for an extraordinary November. With the 58th Annual Conference of the International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern Art (CIMAM) approaching, another major African art institution has announced plans to bring international patrons, collectors and cultural supporters to Zimbabwe's capital. The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) has unveiled its 2026 Curated Art Tour to Harare, a three-day

by artweb National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Harare, venue of the CIMAM conference 2026 The countdown has begun. In just over five weeks, Harare will welcome an international gathering of museum directors, curators, researchers and cultural professionals for the 58th Annual Conference of the International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern Art (CIMAM), scheduled for 20–22 November 2026. For Zimbabwe's visual arts community, the significance of this gathering extends

by artweb The late Helen Lerios and Derek Huggins at Gallery Delta in Harare (photo supplied) Art history often celebrates the achievements of individuals. We remember the painters whose canvases challenged conventions, the sculptors who transformed materials into powerful expressions of identity, and the curators and gallerists who brought new artistic voices into public consciousness. Yet behind some of Zimbabwe's most important artistic developments lies another story, tha

by Richard Mudariki There are moments in the cultural life of a country when an apparently simple gesture carries a much greater meaning. The donation of 10 hectares of land at Mount Worsley Estate in Mutare for a new branch of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe is one of those moments. The Masamvu and Rodgers families have not simply donated land. They have made a statement about the importance of culture, about the future of Manicaland, and about the responsibility of those w

by Richard Mudariki Installation shot - Wycliffe Mundopa's Ritual (image courtesy of Space Un) Wycliffe Mundopa’s Ritual at space Un, Tokyo, follows his June 2026 solo exhibition Hunters in the Garden at First Floor Gallery Harare, extending a distinctly Harare-centred visual language into one of Asia’s most sophisticated contemporary art environments. There is something significant about encountering Wycliffe Mundopa’s paintings in Tokyo only a few months after his presentat

Julio Rizhi installation shot - Kwatiri Kubva Nekwatiri Kuenda (Where We Are Coming From and Where We Are Going) at Simchowitz ( image courtesy of Simchowitz website) by artweb Zimbabwean artist Julio Rizhi will present a new solo exhibition, Kwatiri Kubva Nekwatiri Kuenda (Where We Are Coming From and Where We Are Going), at Hill House in Pasadena, California, opening on 11 October 2026. Presented by Simchowitz, the exhibition brings together 22 works made between 2020 and 2

by Richard Mudariki Installtion shot - Wallen Mapondera solo exhibition at Mitterrand Gallery (image courtesy of Mitterrand Gallery website) At Mitterrand Gallery in Paris, Wallen Mapondera turns a deeply personal encounter with state power into a broader meditation on legality, responsibility and the human consequences of bureaucratic decisions. There is something deliberately uncomfortable about the question at the centre of Mapondera’s latest exhibition: How Do You Even Sl

by Richard Mudariki GRESHAM TAPIWA NYAUDE (2026) Down the Ladder, Oil and charcoal on canvas (image courtesy of Vanguard Gallery I have known Gresham Tapiwa Nyaude for more than a decade. I have watched his career develop from the early days of his practice in Harare, and what has always struck me about Nyaude is not simply the recognisability of his visual language, but his consistency. He has remained steadfast in his commitment to painting, to his subject matter and, impor

Cameroon Pavilion. Courtesy of La Biennale di Venezia, Photo: Andrea Avezzú by Katica Kocsis k It is hardly surprising that one of the biggest stars of contemporary Black art has now arrived at the Biennale, contemporary art’s Olympics. His first solo exhibition in Italy gives us the Boafo everyone knows: the sensual, finger-painted faces, the frontal figures, the vibrant colors, and the constant play between identity and style. But here, Boafo does not simply give us the pol