Helen Lieros

Helen Lieros (3 August 1940 – 14 July 2021), was a Zimbabwean visual artist and educator.[1][2][3][4] Lieros was one of Zimbabwe's most illustrious artists and had a career that spanned across six decades.[5]

Early life and education

She was born on 3 August 1940 in Gweru, Zimbabwe to Greek parents. She studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and the Centre Contemporaine de la Gravure (now the Centre d'édition contemporaine [fr]) in Geneva, Switzerland. She also spent time at the Istituto statale d'arte di Firenze [it]in Florence, Italy.

After wandering in Europe, Lieros returned to Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia) in 1964, and took up a position as a teacher at Chaplin High School, where she had been a student.

Career

After teaching she moved to Harare (then Salisbury) in 1967, where she lived until her death.[6] She established Gallery Delta in Harare with her husband Derek Huggins in 1975.[7][8] The independent space has been involved in the curation, organisation, presentation and promotion of approximately five-hundred exhibitions.[9] Besides being invested in her own practice, Lieros and her husband dedicated most of their career teaching and mentoring generations of Zimbabwean painters.[10] These include Berry Bickle, Greg Shaw, Lovemore Kambudzi, Cosmas Shiridzinonwa, Gina Maxim, Misheck Masamvu,[11][12] Admire Kamudzengerere, Richard Mudariki,[13] and many others.[14] In early 2021, Lieros was honored by the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe as a National Merits Awards Legend.[15]

Lieros died in 2021, aged 81, from COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe.[16]

Solo exhibitions

  • 1966 Naikes’ Gallery, Bulawayo.
  • 1968 Polworth's Galleries, Harare.
  • 1970 Barbour's Gallery, Harare.
  • 1970 Stoa Texnis Gallery, Athens.
  • 1972/75 Tara Arts & Seven Arts, Harare.
  • 1973 Diogenes International Galleries, Athens.
  • 1979 Exhibition, Gallery Delta, Harare.
  • 1983 Selected works, PG Gallery, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Harare.
  • 1985 Galerie Chausse Coqs, Geneva.
  • 1991 Major Retrospective Exhibition, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Harare.
  • 1995 Diary of an Inheritance Gallery Delta, Harare.
  • 1995 Antithesis, Mayfair Gallery, London.
  • 1998 Logos – The Word Gallery Delta, Harare.
  • 2004 Retrospective Exhibition – a selection of paintings and graphics over three decades 1974 -2004, Gallery Delta, Harare.
  • 2004 Diaspora Municipal Gallery of Kallithea (Δημοτική Πινακοθήκη Καλλιθέας), Greece.
  • 2005 Aeons National Gallery of Zimbabwe.
  • 2007 Antithesis Municipal Gallery of Kallithea, Greece.

References

  1. ^ ArtFacts. "Helen Lieros | Artist". ArtFacts. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  2. ^ Garan’anga, Stephen (17 June 2016). "Lieros: Multifaceted, exceptional artist". The Herald. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  3. ^ "NACZ mourns legendary visual artist, Helen Lieros". The Chronicle. 14 July 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  4. ^ Mandivengerei, Paidashe (14 July 2021). "Visual Arts Icon Helen Lieros Dies At 81". NewZimbabwe.com. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  5. ^ Murray, Barbara, Barbara (1995). "Helen Lieros". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  6. ^ https://allafrica.com/stories/202107160598.html
  7. ^ "Helen Lieros". gallery delta. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  8. ^ Mushakavanhu, Tinashe (24 July 2021). "Building an art gallery in the midst of war in Zimbabwe". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  9. ^ Mugwara, Tafara (17 November 2020). "Feature: Exhibition brings together Zimbabwean art lovers for first time since pandemic - Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  10. ^ Art Mentorship by Helen Lieros (8 Dec 2020), retrieved 21 July 2021
  11. ^ "Misheck Masamvu - The Jean Pigozzi Collection of African Art 2021". CAACART - The Jean Pigozzi Collection of African Art. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  12. ^ O'Toole, Sean (26 May 2018). "Carnivorous Politics, Defiant Bodies: Harare Painting in Turbulent Times | Frieze". Frieze (196). Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  13. ^ "Richard Mudariki |". Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  14. ^ Earground (14 July 2021). "Fare thee well! Helen Lieros a name deeply engraved in Zimbabwe's creative history". earGROUND. Archived from the original on 15 July 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  15. ^ "Zim: NAMAs to host legend awards". Music In Africa. 25 November 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  16. ^ "Gallery Delta closes after death of founders". 15 July 2022.