Israel Chikumbirike

For those who know the works of Israel Chikumbirike (born on October 7, 1954) it is no wonder that he was referred to as "Michelangelo of Africa".

As a kid, inspired by his surroundings, Israel modeled in clay and then, using the tools of his own making, he shifted to soft wood and later to stones. With an inborn creation talent, an enormous motivation and the desire to always surpass himself, Israel became an exquisite artist carving works of art in different types of semi-precious hard stones. He said he "feels privileged to unveil characters that have been enclosed in stones for millions of years".

Israel simply breathes life into every piece of stone he works on and you can tell that just by looking at his art.

During the summer of 2017, we had the pleasure to meet Israel in his own home and what we saw in his teary eyes after acquiring one sculpture made us truly understand the bond that Israel creates with his art.

The attention to stone textures, proportions, details on every angle of the pieces he sculpts, either a bust or a full figure, are incredible and represent an attribute of a great master.