Guest Book – Marshall Baron

Jonathan Pincus from London wrote on 24/12/2024 at 13:59

I have very fond memories of Marshall. Seventy-four years ago my father and his were partners in a law firm. We lived a few houses away from each other in Lawley Road, Bulawayo.
It was Marshall who introduced me to the music of Sibelius and I have clear memories of a group of people sitting in a living room and being overwhelmed by the manifest and highly innovative sound of the music

Subsequently, Marshall and I created the Bulawayo Music Appreciation Society. We would meet in people's living rooms and introduce our favourite music to one-another on gramophone records.
I only discovered Marshall's painting after I had left Bulawayo in 1955. I find his pictures deeply moving and sensitive- an indication of his character.
I am grateful to his sister Merle for creating an archive of his work which greatly deserves to be preserved and remembered.

Laurence de B Anderson from Canberra wrote on 25/09/2022 at 07:08

As a child we lived at the top of Oxford Rd. My parents knew Marshall Baron, though they were not friends as such. They always spoke of Marshall with awe. I joined the scouts and had to do 'Bob-a-job' twice a year - whereby the scouts would earn money for the Scouts organisation by doing odd jobs for people. I would always go up and down Oxford Rd, of course, and several times Marshall gave me a job. he was always very nice to me.

Martin Sinkoff from Tel Aviv wrote on 01/09/2021 at 10:28

Thank you Merle Guttmann for introducing me to Marshall's work and to your family. I am very moved and very appreciative. Martin.

William Baron from Perth wrote on 03/01/2021 at 07:40

As part of the Baron family your art work and kind heart will always be with the Baron family and you set the benchmark very high for the rest of the world to learn one or two things about love

Jennifer May wrote on 18/05/2020 at 12:23

An outstanding artist. One of Bulawayo’s greatest sons

Lauryn Arnott wrote on 18/05/2020 at 12:22

Marshall is one of Zimbabwe's old masters

Rosemary Kahn wrote on 18/05/2020 at 12:20

I have not forgotten Marshall. He was a good friend and a wonderful artist. I regret to this day that the painting he gave me was stolen from my home in Salisbury (Harare) whilst I was in Cape Town, visiting my parents, after recovering from a serious illness.

Alex Zwarenstein from New York wrote on 17/06/2019 at 06:31

So many memories of Marshall. I am a painter and teacher and one of my teaching colleagues is Jonathan Shahn.. son of one of Americas most loved painters and graphic illustrators of the last century.. the Great Ben Shahn. He also happens to be a cousin of Marshalls.

Rosemary Granger Kahn from Jerusalem wrote on 30/08/2017 at 16:04

I met Marshall in 1960 in Bulawayo. We listened to music together. He was a great dancer. We talked a great deal. He was often under stress even then.
we remained friends and he gave me one of his paintings - an abstract tree - I treasured that painting but unfortunately it was stolen from me and I have no idea of it's whereabouts now. I was shocked to the core when he died and wrote at once to Ben and Rachel. I still have Rachel's reply, on a card with one of Marshall's paintings on the front. I shall remember and miss this compassionate, wonderful, talented man, always. Rosemary Granger Kahn.

Ralph Lewis from Cape Town wrote on 16/04/2017 at 15:35

My best childhood friend

F. Zvikomborero Mandangu from Harare wrote on 15/04/2017 at 09:51

No aphorism greatly describes art here (in Zimbabwe) as Marshall Baron does.

Craig Baron from Swansea, Wales wrote on 05/03/2017 at 22:53

My tribute to Marshall, someone I looked up to, loved and admired, was to name my son, Jontè Marshall Baron after him. He was born in August 1977.

Sharon Garber from Dunedin ( Florida) wrote on 04/03/2017 at 16:30

My first job was at Ben Baron and Partners. I saw my cousin Marshall there everyday. At first he was ' The Lawyer' then as he spent summers in America honing his artistic skills under Ben Shan I watched his transition into artist. I loved his laugh. It is unforgettable. And always remember how he and cousin Eugene gave me great encouragement when I sailed off to drama school in London. I was, and ,still am so sad when we lost Marshall at such a young age. His magnificent art that I saw emerging is a great legacy to our VERY talented and beloved cousin. How proud I am of him.

Sheli Angel wrote on 03/03/2017 at 09:35

I am privileged to have been loved by Marshall. I have very unique memories of a one-of-kind person and uncle: Mandy and I sitting on his lap in the Bulawayo concert hall while he was due to write a critic for the next morning newspaper; hiking and running in the beautiful Matopos hills with his 5 dogs every weekend; watching him quietly doing Yoga twice a day standing for 30 minutes on his head; sneaking into his art studio full of buckets of paint, brushes, huge canvases and a record player and our "adding" a corner to the current painting at work - what a look he gave at us discovering our mischief! Visiting African friend sculptors in the villages; listening to him playing the piano beautifully; his living room full of piles of records and books on the floor ... everything about him was passionate, loving, exciting and unique. We all are close to him daily via his amazing paintings in our home. No wonder my Nadav loves his work and at 15 taught himself to built a website of Marshall as Mom looked for someone to build the site. Marshall left us early but brilliantly stays close to us and to our beloved.

Daniella Caplan from New York wrote on 02/03/2017 at 20:56

I never got to meet my uncle Marshall. His incredible art is my way of knowing him. If you are a modern art lover I think you will find his work intriguing. Ahead of his time, rich in color and meaning.

Eileen Rixon-Fuller from Scottburg, Natal wrote on 11/02/2017 at 00:00

I worked at Ben Baron & Partners some years ago and learned a lot from my time there

Rosemary Levin from Cape Town wrote on 04/10/2015 at 00:00

I am reminded-An early morning Mid 1960s I watched a young man standing quite still on his head perfectly balanced for ages and ages out on the lawn-
It was my house guest Marshall Baron doing his yoga exercises.
He had come out with Gerald Levin our brother for a weekend to the mine a hundred miles from Bulawayo.

Pamela Courtney from USA wrote on 30/03/2014 at 00:00

Marshall was our family attorney and visited our home in the bush. He encouraged and influenced me to paint. On my 18th birthday he flew to Seattle, where I was studying and we visited an art museum.

Simon Back from Mauritius wrote on 31/10/2013 at 00:00

Brought up in Harare and coming from a not very arty family, the first time I heard about Marshall Baron was in 1983-84 at the age of about seventeen while studying art with Helen Lieros. I was later impacted by some pieces of his in the Harare National Gallery and apart from that, some poor reproductions or photographs.What a joy to find this web-site and really appreciate the beautiful work of Marshall Baron.

Colin and Gwenda Newton from Zimbabwe wrote on 04/05/2013 at 00:00

I went to Milton school with Marshall and later lived near to him in Hillside, Bulawayo. We always knew when he was painting because his lovely classical music would be turned on full-blast. We felt that his paintings were a means of blowing off steam as he was very introverted and, one felt, frustrated by too many unwanted shackles. He was a quiet, gentle man who only did good during his life and we still talk about him.

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