Harare — THE National Gallery of Zimbabwe yesterday commemorated its Golden Jubilee in style with a solo exhibition by one of its long-serving members-turned artiste -- Paul Gwichiri.

The event that was officially opened by Hosea Mapondera, a former employee and artiste, attracted scores of visitors.

A lecture on the origins of Zimbabwean stone sculpture presented by Phebion Kangai, a lecturer in the department of Art and Design at the University of Zimbabwe, preceded the official opening.

Director of the gallery, Doreen Sibanda, said Gwichiri was a true epitome of how earlier artistes contributed immensely to the gallery and curved it into a reputable art institution it is today.

"Gwichiri is a symbol of an ordinary man who has the passion to create and who has also inspired the younger generation of Zimbabwean artistes.

"As we celebrate our Golden Jubilee, we feel very proud of him as an icon of art in Zimbabwe. He was one of the first and earliest employees of the gallery since the early 60s," she said.

Sibanda said the gallery, that was opened in 1957 and had Frank McEwen as its first director, had undergone a number of positive changes as a result of Independence in 1980 such as the setting up of the Visual Arts Studio in Mbare that was introduced in 1982.

"The gallery has identified a lot of talent by offering students support in form of financial and material resources as well space to operate from and exhibit their work so that they can be independent.

"To me, the whole process has been a big success. The gallery also hosted the first ever International Congress of African Culture in 1962 which brought together various artistes from the world," said Sibanda.

The exhibitions that took place in the 1980s that were opened by President Mugabe, visits by the British Royal Family and last year's Silver Jubilee are some of the major highlights that the gallery cherishes, Sibanda said.

She was impressed by the increase in the number of people who visited the gallery over the past 50x years.

"More people, especially the younger generation, are appreciating arts. We get at least 6 000 visitors a year.

"We are doing very well compared to other countries. As far as gallery procedures and organisation is concerned, we are competing with South Africa and even Europe.

"However, our biggest challenge is insufficient financial resources that are hindering us from increasing our permanent collection as well as revamping the gallery. We have to keep the collection updated but we don't have enough money," she said.

Sibanda added that the other challenge had to do with increasing awareness on the works at the gallery and encourage clients to buy.

Every month until December, the Gallery will be hosting exhibitions focusing on women.

April will see the collaboration of artistes while exhibits to do with environment will be showcased in June and September is the children's month.

Gwichiri, a first generation sculptor and painter, is famed for his pieces that are steeped in Shona lore, culture and tradition.

His work has been exhibited in prestigious exhibitions in London UK, Germany, France and Switzerland.