ጅግ የተከበሩ የአለም ሎሬት ሜትር አርቲስት አፈወርቅ ተክሌ (Honorable Laureate Maitre Artist Afewerk Tekle) The definitive figure of contemporary Ethiopian art was born on October 22nd, 1932 from Woyzero Feleketch Yematawork and Ato Tekle Moamo in the old historic city of A Nkober in Shoa Province, Ethiopia. . He demonstrated a gift for mathematics and drawing, always found busy with pencil or pen sketching and drawing. Afewerk had already shown talent as an artist as a child, decorating several walls in his hometown. . In 1947 he was sent to England to study mining engineering. His artistic interests and talent led him to drop engineering and pursue studies in art. Before departing, Afewerk, together with other students leaving to study overseas, was addressed by Emperor Haile Selassie. . Afewerk recalls being told him, "you must work hard, and when you come back do not tell us what tall buildings you saw in Europe, or what wide streets they have, but make sure you return equipped with the skills and the mindset to rebuild Ethiopia". . HMAL Afewerk Tekle studied at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London before joining the prestigious Slade, Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of London. where he studied painting, sculpture, and architecture. . In 1954 he returned to Ethiopia and put on a one-man show which was the first major art exhibition in post World War II Ethiopia. . On this first exhibition of abstract paintings by an Ethiopian artist in Ethiopia, He sold no paintings because among the pieces displayed was the Crucifixion which was an unorthodox representation of Christ’s crucifixion, far removed from the traditional Ethiopian style of ecclesiastical painting. But the emperor Haile Selassie I purchased two paintings. Interestingly the emperor urged upstanding members of the society to support the artist and purchase paintings. . Source - https://www.linkethiopia.org/article/maitre-artist-afewerk-tekle/ . #afewerktekle #HMAL #artist #ethiopianart #ethiopianartist #contemporaryart #ethiopiancontemporaryart
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