Colleen Madamombe (1964–2009) was born in Harare, Zimbabwe. She won the award of Best Female Artist of Zimbabwe three years in a row and became an established figure of the Second Generation of Zimbabwean stone sculptors. Today, she is considered one of the three most important female stone sculptors in all of Africa. Madamombe's sculptures demonstrate her strong determination, self-expression, and creativity. The themes of womanhood, girlhood, pregnancy, motherhood, and the authority of the tribal Matriarch are visible in her artwork. Not only was Madamombe interested in the emotional and spiritual side in a woman's life, but she also explored the basic physical appearance and movement particular to females. She depicted in her forms these aspects of womanhood with a poetic clarity, revealing emotions such as pride, authority, energy, endeavor, sadness, tenderness and humor. Although Madamombe was a quiet and private person, she had strong feelings concerning the changing role of women in Zimbabwean society. Opportunities were and are developing for women; however, she felt they were losing their positions of traditional respect. In her view, it remained difficult for women to pursue a career in the arts, predominantly because of an inherent lack of self-confidence. Another critical factor for Madamombe was that the idea of following one's own ideas and ambitions or pursuing a profession was a foreign to many Zimbabwean women. Madamombe once stated: "A lot of women are artists and just don't realize it – making pots and other things for the home, and not for sale." Some of Madamombe's early works emphasized the importance of seemingly insignificant subjects such as ants, bees, butterflies, and caterpillars. She admitted to a fascination with what she saw as the humility of insects, a trait she felt the human race had lost. Other creatures, such as the cat and the zebra have provided interesting subject material, but her fascination with the smallest of living things endured. She once remarked: "[I like] the way ants move in lines particularly. I love to watch their movement." She observed each of her subjects as closely as possible, and then carved from a strong mental image and the memories she held of the animal, insect, or person. Madamombe predominantly worked in hard black Serpentine and used the outer blanket of the stone to create several different textures to contrast with the polished surfaces. The David Barnett Gallery purchased 66 original sculptures directly from Madamombe in 2004, making the gallery the largest collection of her work in the world. She died on May, 31 2009 and is buried near her rural home in Zvimba.