Afewerk Tekle
Afewerk Tekle (also: Afework Tekle, born October 22, 1932 in Ankober, Ethiopia; † April 10, 2012 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia ) was an Ethiopian artist.
His works include drawings, paintings, wall paintings, stained glass and sculptures, also designs for stamps, playing cards, posters, flags and ceremony dresses. Afewerk Tekle studied at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London and at the University of London. In 1964 he was winner of the National Prize for Fine Arts. He organized exhibitions and lectures in many countries worldwide, including in Ethiopia, the Soviet Union, the USA, Senegal, Turkey, Zaire, Bulgaria and Germany.
Afewerk Tekle designed his own house, studio and gallery, known by the name "Villa Alpha ," according to architectural motifs from the historic Axum, the medieval castle of Gonder and the ancient fortress city of Harrar. One of his most striking images, " African Heritage " (1967), is located in the National Museum of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa, further are there his works " Qebele Meeting" (1977 ), " Demera " (1974) and " Ye- Petros Kihidet ". He designed more than ten different designs for an emblem and a flag for a united Africa. He is internationally known through his window picture "The Struggle and aspiration of The African People " (1960) in the Africa Hall, the seat of the Economic Commission for Africa of the United Nations. The three -part work shows the sad past of Africa, its present struggle for existence, and the high expectations for the future.
His painting " Unity Triptych " In 1977 he won the gold medal at the Algiers International Festival. During the exhibition in the Pushkin Museum in Moscow and the State Russian Museum in Leningrad in September 1980 Afewerk Tekle was honored as a "hero of peace and friendship" and referred to as the greatest African artists of the 20th century. 1981 his work " Self-portrait " as the first work of an African in the permanent collection of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence ( Italy) was added. In 1997 he won first prizes for his works "The Chalice and the Cross in the Life of the African People " and "The Sun of Senegal ".
Afewerk Tekele died on 10 April 2012 in a private hospital in Addis Ababa, severe stomach ulcers.