The Herbert Acquires New African Art

18 June 2013

Last week the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum purchased a new work of art at auction for their popular Caught in the Crossfire exhibition and for their permanent collections.

The Throne of Innocents, by Gonçalo Mabunda from Mozambique, is a seat created out of disarmed gun and weapon parts which were collected in 1992 at the end of the civil war in Mozambique. The piece is a protest against violence as well as a reflection of the power of art to change society in a positive way.

The artwork is an important piece for the Herbert, as it links with the city's themes of peace and reconciliation, and it is also the Herbert's first acquisition from the African continent.

Senior Curator Martin Roberts says, "The Throne of Innocents is a very prominent piece for Caught in the Crossfire and for the Herbert's collection as a whole, as it also links to our permanent Peace and Reconciliation gallery."

Caught in the Crossfire leads visitors to explore and debate some fundamental issues: the impact of conflict on both the home front and the frontline; the aesthetics of violence and machinery of war; the division of land and separation of people during conflict; attempts made to prevent war through protest, resistance and action; and the aftermath of war where hope emerges and lives are rebuilt.

For more information about Caught in the Crossfire exhibition and the events linked to this exhibition, please follow the links on the right.