Shaka the King

Shaka the King was a central piece in an extensive portfolio of woodcuts and prints retelling the epic story of the Zulu king. The aim ultimately was to bestow on Shaka’s life the same legendary status as that of the ancient Greek and Roman epic cycles, partly because Shaka’s history was actively suppressed or distorted by the apartheid government.

The Shaka project started as a series of small panels set into the imposing door in the home of collector and friend Vittorio Meneghelli, and then took on their own life, collected in an extensive portfolio of prints by the artist, with verses by poet Stephen Gray in 1973 entitled The Assassination of Shaka. This magnificent panel is typical of the visual idiom of the series.

Artwork courtesy of MTN Art Collection.