National Gallery of Zimbabwe
The country's main art institution in Harare, central to the rise of Zimbabwean stone sculpture.
Updated 16 October 2026
The National Gallery opened in 1957 and its first director, Frank McEwen, ran a workshop from it that became the seedbed of the Shona stone sculpture movement, a body of work in serpentine and springstone that went on to sell internationally and became the country's best-known art export. The gallery holds a permanent collection of that work alongside contemporary Zimbabwean and African art and runs a changing exhibition programme. The building itself dates from the gallery's founding and stands at the edge of the Harare Gardens, with a sculpture court and a garden used for outdoor display.
Background
Plans for a gallery began in the 1930s, and in 1943 Sir James McDonald left a bequest of £30,000 to establish an art museum and gallery in Salisbury. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother performed the official opening on July 16, 1957, and in October 1991 Queen Elizabeth II came to the sixth Zimbabwe Heritage Exhibition. The collection now numbers close to 6000 works, in stone, metal and wood as well as paintings, drawings and installations. Two regional branches belong to it. The Bulawayo gallery opened in 1970 and since 1993 has used Douslin House, a two-storey building of 1901, while the Mutare gallery opened in 1999 in Kopje House of 1897, once the town's first hospital.
Source: Wikipedia, "National Gallery of Zimbabwe"
What's there
- The stone sculpture collection - the permanent holding of Zimbabwean stone carving.
- The workshop history - the gallery's role in launching the movement in the 1960s.
- The contemporary programme - changing exhibitions of Zimbabwean and African work.
- The sculpture garden - work displayed in the grounds.
When to go
Year round; it is indoors. It closes on Mondays. Exhibition changeovers can leave galleries closed.
What to expect
Funding has been intermittent and parts of the programme have been reduced. Some galleries close between exhibitions. The permanent collection is not always fully on show.
Nearby
Harare centre surrounds it, and Chapungu is southeast.
Key facts
Source: Wikidata, item Q4113712, read on 18 October 2026.
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