Frank McEwen

Francis Jack McEwen, OBE (19 April 1907 – 15 January 1994) was an English artist, teacher, and museum administrator. He is best remembered today for his efforts to bring attention to the work of Shona artists in Rhodesia and for helping to found the National Gallery of Zimbabwe. He was awarded the OBE in 1963.

Early life Born in Mexico and brought up in Devon, McEwen grew up surrounded by art from West Africa, which his father had collected on various business trips. Having attended Mill Hill School, in 1926, he went to Paris to study art history at the Sorbonne and the Institut d'Art et d'Archaeologie; his teacher was Henri Focillon. Through Focillon, McEwen met and befriended artists such as Constantin Brâncuși, Georges Braque, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Fernand Léger, and gained a deal of respect for the teachings of Gustave Moreau, which were to influence much of his later career.

Upon Focillon's advice, McEwen chose to become a painter rather than a lecturer, which led to a breach with his family, as a result of which he had to support himself financially through painting and picture restoration.

McEwen arrived in Rhodesia before construction of the Gallery was completed and set about looking for staff to hire. Among the people he met was Thomas Mukarobgwa, a former policeman who talked to him a great deal about the culture of the Shona people. Regulations stated that all Gallery staff must be ex-policemen, so Mukarobgwa was hired as a cleaner. McEwan gave him materials for drawing and painting, and provided the same materials to other staff members. An unofficial workshop of sorts, to be called the Workshop School, was formed in the basement of the museum; within a year of its foundation, painting and drawing had been superseded by carving. Local stones, such as soapstone, serpentinite, and verdite, were the media of choice. Among the artists whose careers began at the museum were Sam Songo, Mukarobgwa, Boira Mteki, Joseph Ndandarika, John and Bernard Takawira, and Joram Mariga; along with Josia Manzi, Nicholas Mukomberanwa and others, they went on to create one of the first native schools of contemporary art in Africa. Further details are to be found in the article on the Sculpture of Zimbabwe.

The workshop remained an unofficial part of the museum until its wares began to sell abroad via the efforts of Lord Delaware , David Stirling, and others; eventually the board of directors officially accepted responsibility for its activities. Its products were exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in 1968, the Musée Rodin in 1971, and London's ICA in 1972. Political tensions in Rhodesia grew unbearable, however, and McEwen resigned his post in 1973 to live on his boat in the Bahamas. He took frequent trips to Brazil, but eventually returned to Devon, settling in Ilfracombe.

McEwen left an important bequest to the British Museum, in the form of a collection of specimens in stone, clay and wood (mainly items he had purchased from the artists working in 1957-1973). This group of works is of significant value to Art Historians as it shows the range of sculptural forms being produced at that time and McEwen's own tastes in art.

Marriage In 1933, Frank McEwen had a child (Frank Aldridge) with American Painter Frances Wood. They lived together in France from 1931 to 1937. In 1969, McEwen married Mary McFadden; they divorced in 1970.

Last years and death With the worldwide interest in Shona carving, McEwen became a popular figure in artistic circles, being called upon for comment and to be filmed for various projects. He was content to live, yet still expressed concern that the quality of Shona art might become compromised with a broadening of its popularity.

McEwen died at his home in Devon in 1994.