What do New York's Museum of Modem Art, Queen Elizabeth II, the Rockefellers and the Rothschilds have in common ? They all own remarkable semi-abstract sculptures carved by the Shona, Zimbabwe's largest tribe. Picasso was an admirer of early Shona sculpture; now evidence is surfacing that he was influenced by it, too.

Astonishingly, the sculptures made today are not very different from those made more than 1000 years ago; they achieve the same delicate balance and employ similarly masterful lines. After quarrying the raw stone with hatchets, the sculptors use crude chisels to "release" the spirit trapped in the stone. Next, they polish the stone with sand and beeswax. Finally, they heat it on a fire to bring out the brilliant colors (Town & Country, January 1997).

The Shona School has been developing since the 1960's and is, according to NEWSWEEK magazine, probably the most important art form to have emerged from Africa during the 20th century. (Shona art commands international acclaim and is well represented in travelling and permanent exhibitions from Tokyo to London and New York).