EDUARDO RAMÍREZ VILLAMIZAR: BIOGRAPHY, WORK, OUTSTANDING PIECES - BIOGRAPHIES - 2025

Eduardo Ramírez Villamizar (1923-2004) was a Colombian sculptor and painter. On four occasions he obtained first place in the program of the National Artists' Hall of Colombia. He was recognized for incorporating new artistic trends to the country, such as the abstract and minimalist style.

A fundamental trait in this author was his cosmopolitan character, since his constant travels allowed him to broaden his perception of the world and strengthen his creations. This was because he included in each of his works the experiences and knowledge that he was acquiring.

Eduardo Ramírez Villamizar (1923-2004) was a Colombian sculptor and painter. Source: Nicolas Zea Posada, via Wikimedia Commons.

Its objective was to convey that life was fleeting and that words were not necessary to spread a message. She stated that through the lines and the color a source of emotions could be perceived, since the portraits and reliefs were also poems. Throughout her career she received several distinctions, both national and international.

Among them, the following stand out: the Guggenheim award (1958), the Sao Paulo Biennial award (1969), the Colcultura medal (1979), the José Eusebio Caro insignia (1979), the Francisco de Miranda Order (1993) and the Cruz de Boyacá (1994). In 1999, the newspaper El tiempo published that Ramírez was one of the hundred most important people of the 20th century.

Biography

Eduardo Ramírez Villamizar was born on August 27, 1923 in Pamplona, ​​a municipality located in the north of Colombia. He was the eleventh child of Jesús Ramírez and Adela Villamizar. His father was a jeweler, but at the end of 1928 the State reduced the credits for microentrepreneurs; reason why the business stopped producing and went bankrupt.

Due to the economic crisis, the family had to move to Cúcuta in 1929. In that city Ramírez completed his primary and secondary studies; but in 1940 he left for Bogotá where he entered the National University and enrolled in the architecture faculty. However, in 1944 he chose to follow his passion and enrolled in art school.

In 1945 he participated in the first group exhibition and his works in watercolor stood out for being expressionists. In 1947, the director of the University of Cauca asked him to work with Edgar Negret, a sculptor who taught him about the avant-garde manifestations that were taking place in Europe.

Friendship with Negret was essential for Ramírez to decide to travel in order to get to know other cultures that would help him expand his artistic training.

Artistic formation

In 1950 he settled in Paris, where he devoted himself to studying the works of Víctor Vasarely, Pablo Picasso and Constantin Brancusi. He also met Auguste Herbin and Jean Dewasne. Sharing with these artists and being close to the avant-garde representations caused him to distance himself from expressionism and adopt a more geometric style.

In 1952 he returned to Bogotá and presented a solo exhibition of his abstract paintings at the National Library. In turn, he began to design a painting for the Bavaria building, which was installed in 1955. From 1954 he focused on touring the territories of Europe and North America to examine the works of various authors, such as Max Bill, Marcel Duchamp and Alexander Calder.

In 1956, the Museum of Modern Art in New York purchased his sketch The black and white. In 1958 she produced the mural El dorado for the Bogotá bank. In 1959 she visited Mexico City to exhibit her compositions at the Antonio Souza gallery. She also traveled to Guatemala in order to appreciate the ancient town of Tikal.

During this period he reflected on the Constructive Universalism, by Joaquín Torres García. This theory raised what was the ideal way of seeing and making art. From that moment on, Ramírez's creations were characterized by their metaphysical aspects.

Trajectory

In the course of 1960, Ramírez Villamizar focused on building some reliefs and murals. He also returned to New York to exhibit his work at the David Herbert Gallery. In 1964 he was part of the group of authors who participated in the Espiritu Santo event, which was organized by the Sidney Janis museum to highlight contemporary talents.

In 1965 he returned to Bogotá in order to erect the horizontal Mural for the Luis Ángel Arango library. In 1966 she showed her works on the Art of Latin American since Independence program and started a sculpture exhibition at the Graham Gallery. In 1967 he moved to the United States, where he assumed the profession of professor at New York University.

In the North American country he created several monuments that were placed in the Washington gardens and in the Houston museum. In 1968 she registered at the South American Sculptors presentation, which was held by the Louisville museum. In 1969 she represented Colombia in the Contemporary South American Art contest, which was held in Dallas.

In 1971 he joined the International Sculpture Symposium and showed his creations in particular. Then, in 1974, she settled in Bogotá, where she studied the natural elements that she would portray in her designs.

Last years

In the mid-1980s, Ramírez began to develop The Time of Laws, a project that was dedicated to Francisco de Paula Santander. In 1983 he toured some regions of Peru, thanks to that trip he created Memories of Machu Picchu. In 1985 he moved to Washington to join the Five Colombian Masters exhibition.

In 1990 the Ramírez Villamizar Museum was inaugurated. To reward the gesture, the artist donated more than thirty works. In 1993, the National University of Colombia awarded him the title of Doctor Honoris Causa. In 2002 he presented the Relieves exhibition at the Diners gallery.

In this way it is perceived that the life of this artist was determined by the constant composition and the recognition of his work. He passed away on August 23, 2004. Currently his ashes are in Pamplona, ​​right in the museum that was founded in his honor.

Work

Ramírez's work can be seen as a reference of modernism, it is even possible to express that it represents a new stage in the artistic history of Colombia. The author's goal was for the viewer to connect with his creations. That is why he used common materials, such as aluminum, cardboard, wood, iron, plastic and concrete.

In addition, their works are usually unicolor. White, gray, black, green, red, blue, yellow and ocher predominate. When he combined the tones it was to create depth and volume, which is why he contrasted the straight lines with the curves. At first his paintings reflected a precise idea, since the defined figures exalted or criticized the social order.

Starting in 1950, the contours gradually became blurred and they began to exhibit abstract forms. From that moment the paintings were characterized by being minimalist, they sought to project the basic essence of the elements that made up reality; but in the 1960s he focused on the design of the sculptures, which were identified by being flat.

However, with the passage of time, the columns began to lean until they acquired their own space. Some of his pieces are:

- Composition in ocher (1956).

- Horizontal black and white (1958).

- Circular relief (1963).

- Salute to the astronaut (1964).

- The river (1966).

- Memories of Machu Picchu (1984).

Featured pieces

The Golden

This mural was made with gold leaflets and is over two meters high. It is made up of five horizontal pillars in the shape of ovals that come together. It is worth mentioning that two of the columns are spreading and it seems that they are fading; on these reliefs there are seven figures that are similar to some petals and in the middle there is a circle.

This work stands out because it was the first to have a three-dimensional structure. To develop it, the artist was inspired by the pre-Columbian worldview, where it was considered that in the regions of South America there were gold-bearing lands.

Spaceship

It is a ten meter long sculpture that is located in the Plaza del Centro Internacional. It is built with sheets of iron that were painted red, orange and black. It includes different geometric figures - such as the square, triangle, trapezoid and rhombus - that make up a totality.

Based on its organization, it is perceived that this work is the representation of a ship that has just landed or is about to take off; but apparently it is not in good condition. Its design was influenced by the skeleton of a bird. The purpose of this monument is to relate nature with technology.

Sculpture «Spaceship». Source: Felipe Restrepo Acosta, via Wikimedia Commons.

Mirror of the moon

Mirror of the moon projects the transience of life. Through its scattered planes, this work shows that men and their creations are destined to disappear. To highlight that message, the artist built the piece with rusty iron. Also, contrast a permanent object (the moon) with a brittle instrument (the mirror).

This sculpture is important because it stands directly on the floor, without the help of external ribbons. It is composed of a sphere divided into two and around it there are several interlocking rhomboids. Its dimensions are: one meter and twenty-one centimeters both high and wide and eighty centimeters long.

References

1. Camejo, N. (2009). Contemporary Colombian artists. Retrieved on December 22, 2019 from Revista de Historia: revistadehistoria.es
2. Fischer, W. (2007). Compositions of South American artists of the 20th century. Retrieved on December 22, 2019 from Department of Arts and Culture: usdac.us
3. López, A. (2017). Eduardo Ramírez Villamizar, the pioneer constructive artist of abstract art in Colombia. Retrieved on December 22, 2019 from El País: elpais.com
4. Osorio, J. (2018). The artist and his production: Fernando Botero and Eduardo Ramírez. Retrieved on December 22, 2019 from the Colombian Academy of History: academiahistoria.org.co
5. Pradilla, A. (2010). Genius of abstraction: Eduardo Ramírez Villamizar. Retrieved on August 22, 2019 from Academia: academia.edu
6. Suárez, M. (2012). Eduardo Ramírez Villamizar. Retrieved on December 22, 2019 from Arte Colombia: colombia.com
7. Zara, H. (2015). Sculptures by Eduardo Ramírez Villamizar. Retrieved on December 22, 2019 from New York University: nyu.edu