FERNADO DE SZYSZLO, Lima, Peru, 1925 Fernando de Szyszlo was a key figure in the abstract art world of Latin America in the mid 1950's. He was trained in the School of Fine Arts at the Catholic University of Lima. At 24 he traveled to Europe where he studied the works of the masters, in particular those of Rembrandt, Tiziano and Tintoretto and was influenced by cubism, surrealism, informalism and abstractism. During his stay in Paris, he met Octavio Paz and Andre Breton and attended gatherings of a group of writers and intellectuals who met up at Cafe Flore. At these gatherings artists and intellectuals speculated how to participate in the modern international movement while maintaining their Latin American cultural identities. Upon his return to Peru, Szyszlo was one the leading forces in the artistic renovation of his country, opening doors by expressing Peruvian themes in a non-representational style. The lyricism of color enriched with the effect of texture and masterful use of light are key to Szyszlo's work. Identifying the connections of antique cultures with modern language, Szyszlo's art reflects a grand culture that draws from diverse sources, from philosophy and science to literature. His allusions to rituals, myths, and the geography of oceans and deserts are often associated with the sacred locations of Pre-Columbian cultures. Museums: Boca Raton Museum of Art, Boca Raton, Florida, U.S.A; Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach, CA, U.S.A; Art Museum of the Americas, Washington, DC, U.S.A; Instituto de Arte Contemporaneo, Lima, Peru; Museo de Arte, Lima, Peru; Museo de Arte Moderno, Bogota, Colombia; Museo Iberoamericano de Pintura, Cartagena, Colombia; Museo de Bellas Artes, Caracas, Venezuela; Museo de Arte Contemporaneo, Santiago, Chile; Museo de Arte Moderna, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Museum of Fine Arts, Dallas, Texas, U.S.A; Blanton Museum of Art, Austin, Texas, U.S.A; The Guggenheim Museum, New York, U.S.A; Casa de las Americas, Havana, Cuba; Museo de Ponce, Puerto Rico; Museo de Arte Moderno, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Museu de Arte 214 Andalusia Avenue, Coral Gables, Florida, 33134 / 305-446-5578 / Fax: 305-446-1148 www.americascollection.com Contemporânea da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico City, Mexico; Museo Tamayo, Mexico City, Mexico; Museo Nacional de Arte Contemporaneo, Sol, Korea. Exhibitions: 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 São Paulo and Venice. .