The Legacy of Rex and Mhiripiri Gallery

Rex Mhiripiri was born in 1935 in rural Rhodesia, the country now known as Zimbabwe. He grew up in humble circumstances, walking miles to school and earning his way to one of the country’s most respected boarding schools. In 1966, he emigrated to the United States, and he spent the next six decades building a life defined by resilience, faith, and a deep belief in the power of education and transformation.

Rex founded Mhiripiri Gallery and operated it for more than 40 years, moving through several Twin Cities locations, including Butler Square in downtown Minneapolis, Nicollet Mall, and 70th and France, before settling at 9001 Penn Ave S in Bloomington, where the gallery has been for the past 20 years. Through the gallery, he shared his own paintings alongside the African stone sculpture he loved, building something that was never simply a business. It was a bridge between cultures, a space where strangers could meet through stone.

By his side throughout that journey was his beloved wife, Julie Mhiripiri, his partner for more than half a century and the heart of the family he built. Rex was a father of nine who held high expectations for his children and instilled in each of them a commitment to learning and to building lives of meaning. Those values carry forward in Julie and the family that continues to steward the gallery today.

Rex passed away peacefully on March 9, 2026, at the age of 90, after a full and remarkable life.

The gallery remains open. The work continues.