Art spotlight: African sculpture

Continuing: As the Twin Cities' leading dealer in African art, Rex Mhiripiri has long specialized in Shona stone carvings from his native Zimbabwe. In a new show at the Bloomington Art Center, he takes a more expansive view of the continent's cultural offerings, including pieces from Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Gabon, Congo, Tanzania, Mali , Ethiopia, Kenya and Burkina Faso. Early-20th-century African masks and statuary take up about half of the exhibit, most acquired from the estates of former missionaries in the Congo or from U.S. State Department employees who worked elsewhere in Africa. The second half focuses on contemporary carvings by Zimbabwean talents including Colleen Madamombe, Bernard Matemera and others. Specially commissioned necklaces composed of gold plate, antique African beads and malachite highlight the display.