Fernando de Szyszlo

( July 5, 1925 - )

A key figure in advancing abstract art in Latin America in the mid-fifties, Fernando Szyszlo was born in Lima, Peru in 1925.

He first studied painting at the School of Plastic Arts of the Catholic University of Lima. Then, in 1948 he went to Paris where he held his first exhibition the following year. He spent the next few years in both Paris and Florence, studying the classic and 20th century masters. Upon his return to Peru in 1951, Szyszlo became a major force for artistic renewal in his country, breaking new ground by expressing Peruvian Pre-Columbian themes in a non-representational style.

His use of color, rich textural effects and a masterly handling of light and shadow are hallmarks of Szyszlo's work which links ancient rituals, myths, and the geography of sea and desert landscapes often associated with pre-Columbian sacred sites to a modernist artistic language.

Szyszlo has had over 100 individual exhibitions in museums and galleries in Latin America, Europe and the United States and has participated in the prestigious international biennials of Sao Paulo and Venice. His work is represented in important public and private collections throughout the world.