Goodbye to Alberto Sierra

The death of Alberto Sierra has robbed the Colombian art scene of one of its sharpest interpreters and most active protagonists. Sierra was simultaneously a cultural promoter, gallery owner and curator. His intense work in those areas contributed in part, not only to the remarkable development of the art from Antioquia, but also to the region's prominent presence in the Colombian and international artistic scenes from the end of the 20th century to the beginning of the 21st century. Sierra began his trajectory as gallery owner in the beginning of the 1970s, presenting artworks in the office that he shared with other architects, a fact that led to naming his gallery Galería de la Oficina [Office Gallery], which became his main center of activities. From there, Sierra would become the most active promoter of his city's artistic production by presenting the works by his selected artists not only in Medellin but also across the country and abroad. In this manner, he exposed his fellow countryman to the most defining values of the art of his time and helped expand the artistic discussion beyond the national borders. As a gallery owner he also contributed to the economic stability of a large number of artists and became a lucid supporter of art collecting in the city. In recent years, the Galería de la Oficina had important representations at international artistic fairs like ArtBo and Arco, where it stood out for its openness to the most vanguardist expressions of modern and contemporary art. As a cultural manager, Sierra became the main promoter of creation at the Museo de Arte Moderno in Medellin. He became its first and most distinguished curator, organizing important exhibitions by artists representative of the trajectory of the art produced in Antioquia and contributing, in this manner, to clarify the rich artistic history of that region. He was also instrumental in disseminating the new values that emerged during the different periods of his tenure. Alberto Sierra founded and directed the Re-Vista del Arte y la Arquitectura en Colombia periodical (later known as Re-vista del Arte y la Arquitectura en América Latina), a publication that contains important takes on the Latin American art from the 1970s and 1980s. Each edition of the magazine featured several works of art to encourage collecting. Sierra also directed Coloquio Latinoamericano de Arte No-Objetual y Urbano, created for the 4th Medellin Biennial in 1981. He also created the Salones Rabinovich through which the art of emerging Colombian artists has been effectively promoted. His enthusiasm was also instrumental in the revamping and reformulation of the objectives and guidelines of the Museo de Antioquia, and in the promulgation of a norm according to which all the buildings in Medellin had to have a sculpture placed in their outdoor areas (unfortunately. the norm was suspended, but it nonetheless granted the city its particular and stimulating urban profile. As curator, Sierra organized important exhibitions like "Portraiture in Antioquia" and "Watercolor in Antioquia," as well as countless modern art exhibitions in his gallery and in several institutions in the region. He collaborated in the consolidation of highly prestigious collections like the Suramericana de Seguros collection, as well as collections from several other companies from the so called Sindicato Antioqueño and, in general, from all the museums in the region. His sharp eye, overt intelligence and raw sensibility were the precise attributes for contributions that left a permanent mark on the development of Colombian art. If one takes into account the period and circumstances in which he worked in Medellin, it is possible to say that Sierra was a true artistic worrier that greatly contributed to the transformation of the highly restrictive and incipient cultural scene of the c...