Alberto Guzmán

Peruvian sculptor Alberto Guzmán died in November of last year at the age of 90 in Paris, the city where he lived for forty years. Alberto Guzmán, the sculptor of light, as he was called by art historians and critics, was born in Talara, Peru, in 1927. Because his mother died when he was very young, Guzmán was raised by his grandmother, Dalia López, in the country home where, according to the artist himself, he created his first clay sculptures of animals and corrals, which he would use as toys. At the age of 11, Guzmán traveled to Lima to help his father in his welding job at the aviation company Faucett. It was there where he learned to create metal pieces. In 1949, he was granted a scholarship to attend the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes in Lima. In his first exhibition in 1953, he showed a series of abstract iron sculptures. Upon the completion of his studies in 1956, Guzmán received the gold medal for drawing and sculpture. Several other important recognitions followed, including the one granted by the Universidad de San Marcos in Lima, in 1957, for his sculpture titled La Marinera. In 1958, the State of Peru recognized him with the National Award of Sculpture. In1959, he exhibited at the Instituto de Arte Contemporáneo in Lima and the French Ministry of Culture granted him the André Malraux scholarship to travel to France, where, in 1967, Guzmán won the André Susse Young Sculptor Award. Finally, in 1971, he obtained the famous Antoine Bourdelle Award and, in 1989, the French government awarded him the honorable title and medal of Knight of Arts and Letters. In October of 2010, Guzmán was recognized by the Peruvian government with its Grand Cross. The Paris-based artist was invited to participate in numerous exhibitions in France and throughout Europe, including: a 1961 show of his welded wire sculptures at the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris, as part of the exhibition titled "Latin American Art in Paris," followed by his participation at the Salon de la Jeune Sculpture; at the 1982 grand exhibition about "the Art of Latin America" at the Grand-Palais in Paris. Guzmán also showed his work in Caracas and Valencia in 1965 and, as result of his artistic merits, he represented Peru at the Venice Biennale the following year. His last show was a 2012 retrospective of his work from 1959 to his most current pieces. Today, Alberto Guzmán are part of important art collections like the one belonging to the Peggy Guggenheim Foundation in Valencia. In Europe, America, and Asia, his works decorate parks, building and museums. Among these is the fountain in the Jeanne d'Arc square in the 12th District in Paris. Likewise, there is the polished steel sculpture that used to be by the façade of the Banco Continental in Lima. Also worthy of mention is the sculpture at the Veritas Company in Oslo, Norway, as well as the sculpture in the Seoul Park, South Korea, erected on the occasion of the 1988 Olympic Games. An ongoing exhibition in Paris pays tribute to this Peruvian artist. Titled "Peruvian Contemporary Art" – Third Contemporary Art Exhibition, the show is jointly organized by the Fondation Taylor and ComparArt.