Ramírez Villamizar

Ramírez Villamizar compiles 35 years of work by this important visual artist, whose splendid, rigorous, and refined work, though he was essentially a sculptor, also delved into muralism, painting, and graphic arts. This magnificent volume—a true instrument of culture and a means of disseminating contemporary Colombian art—pays a well-deserved tribute to Eduardo Ramírez Villamizar, one of the most outstanding figures in Colombian art, whose vast body of work is extensively illustrated in this publication.

Eduardo Ramírez Villamizar (Pamplona, 1922 – Bogotá, 2004) was among the artists who emerged in Colombian art under the guidance of Marta Traba in the late 1950s, alongside Obregón, Grau, Negret, Wiedemann, and Armando Villegas. He was a pioneer of abstract and minimalist art in the country, and his work had a continental impact. He won first prize at the Salón Nacional de Artistas in 1959, 1962, 1964, and 1966. His mural El Dorado in the Banco de Bogotá building and the Mural horizontal in the Luis Ángel Arango Library are notable, as are his sculptural series Recuerdo de Machu-Picchu and monumental sculptural installations in public spaces, such as 16 torres or Nave espacial.

The book—published in 1984—was designed by Benjamín Villegas based on an initial sketch from 1975 by the American Al Hamowy. The critic Federico Morais guides the reader through the artist's creative process. Morais himself wrote to the artist: "I am touched; it is the most beautiful book ever published with my text. Indeed, the book turned out very beautiful, and rereading the text in Spanish, I confess I also liked it. The poetic tone resulted from the very impact your work had on me, in addition to aligning with my particular vision."

The initiative for the publication of this book came from the Museum of Modern Art and the Flota Mercante Grancolombiana.