Maitre artist Afewerk Tekle has presented in many international exhibitions the historical images, faces and lands capes of Ethiopia.

He has depicted in many of his important works the Ethiopians determination to keep their unity and integrity of their people and country.

We now present here two samples out of twenty-five of such works in a stamp form for our collectors, 

1. (Homage to Adwa)
2. Defender of his country (the Afar and his lands cape)

Here below is a brief curriculum vitae of maitre Artist Afewerk Tekle and his valuable contributions.

AFEWERK TEKLE– Ethiopia’s leading artist, was born on October 22^nd, 1932 in the old historic city of Ankober in shoa region of Ethiopia. He held a one – man exhibition at the Municipality Hall in 1954. It was the first significant art exhibition of post war Ethiopia.

Soon after his exhibition he left Ethiopia for a study tour in Italy, France, Spain, Portugal and Greece. In addition to these countries, he attended various studies in England. He also made a special study of the Ethiopian illustrated manuscripts in the British Library, the Bibliotheque National in Paris and the Vatican Library, thereby gaining a deeper knowledge of his own artistic heritage.

On his arrival in Ethiopia, Afewerk opened his studio in the National Library of Ethiopia. Soon afterwards he was given his first challenging commission by the Government: the decoration of St. George’s cathedral, one of the capital’s two most important religious edifices, where he work-ed on murals and mosaics for three and a half years.

The artist in this period and the ensuing years also gave a number of exhibitions which did much to enliven the capital’s artistic life. His reputation grew not only within the country but also internationally. His drawings, paintings, murals, mosaics, stained-glass windows and sculpture, his designs for stamps, playing cards, posters, flags and national ceremonial dresses, all went to build up his position as Ethiopia’s for most artist.

When Africans were fighting for their independence and working for the unity of the continent Afewerk contributed in his works towards this ideal. His paintings included titles such as «Backbones of African civilization», «African Movement», «African Atmosphere», and «African unity», and for Expo 67 in Montreal, Canada, «Africa’s Heritage» which is now in the permanent collection of the National Museum of Ethiopia. After many studies he produced over ten designs for an African Unity emblem and flag.

Afewerk’s internationally famous stained-glass windows confronting the visitor in the entrance of Africa Hall, the headquarters of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, is one of his area test achievements; it shows his mastery on a gigantic scale (150 sq.m.) of a medium which has inspired artists ever since the Middle. Ages, and it embodies in its three panels Africa’s sorrowful past, present struggle and its high aspirations for the future.

More recently Afewerk, though still deeply interested in the Ethiopian heritage and African culture, has been pondering on the unity of mankind, and on the need for world peace. Hence his painting entitled «Unity Triptych»- (a) the disunity of man. (b) towards the unity of man, (c) symbol of human unity. This won him the gold medal at the Algiers International festival in 1977.

In September 1980 Afewerk gave an important one man show in the Us S. S. R. the first to be seen since the Ethiopian Revolution of 1974. This exhibition, the artist’s second appearance in the Soviet Union, was held at the Pushkin Museum in Moscow and the Russian State Museum in Leningrad, and attracted a large number of art critics and art-lovers from many parts of the Soviet Union. These Gatherings have re-asserted Afewerk’s position in the Socialist world of art. He was awarded the highest order of «Hero of peace and friendship», and recognized as the most significant and serious twentieth century artist from the African Continent.

In 1981, his work «Self-Portrait» was the first to be honored from the African continent for inclusion in the permanent collection of the Uffizi Museum Florence, Italy. In recognition of his valuable contributions to African art as a whole, Afewerk has been given Many awards, medals and high decorations by state of many parts of the world.

Afewerk’s creative output and his application to hard work have already set an example to his gene-ration and assured his place not only as a leading Ethiopian artist but also as a figure in the art world of the twentieth century.