# Oswaldo Vigas

Oswaldo Vigas (August 4, 1923 – April 22, 2014) was a Venezuelan painter, muralist, and sculptor whose work spanned paintings, prints, drawings, ceramics, and tapestries. Known for blending pre-Columbian, modernist, and contemporary influences, he lived and worked in both France and Venezuela.

## Early life and education

Oswaldo Vigas was born in Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela on August 4, 1923. He identified as mestizo, a term used to describe a person of mixed indigenous and Spanish heritage. He started painting the human body at the age of 12, when his father died.
He went to college and studied medicine at the University of the Andes (Venezuela) (Spanish: Universidad de los Andes) and at the Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas and received a degree in 1951. While studying, he took art classes at the Taller Libre de Artes and attended the Escuela de Artes Plásticas Cristóbal Rojas, where he became acquainted with painters such as Manuel Cabré and Pedro Ángel González, among others.
His early paintings focused on the human figure, mostly the female form, and a theme that would remain a constant throughout his career: witches (brujas). He became interested in pre-Columbian culture and pottery, specifically Venus de Tacarigua figurines.
Amidst controversy, his witch paintings were awarded three art prizes in Venezuela. He won the National Visual Arts Award in 1952 for his painting La gran bruja (1951) and also had a major solo exhibition at the Museo de Bellas Artes in Caracas. These successes allowed Vigas to move to Paris in 1952.

## Work
### Paris

After moving to Paris, Vigas studied at the École des Beaux-Arts and took open courses at the Sorbonne. He was commissioned to produce five mosaic murals that were to become part of the Universidad Central de Venezuela, later declared a World Heritage Cultural Site by UNESCO in 2000.
During most of the 1950s, his works shifted away from the human figure and towards constructivism and abstraction. In 1953, he participated in the São Paulo Biennial and in a group show at the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, among other exhibitions. Between 1953 and 1958, Vigas exhibited regularly in France and Venezuela. In 1954, he represented Venezuela at the XXVII Venice Biennale, and was part of the Painters of Venezuela traveling exhibition at the Pan-American Union, sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution.
During the late 1950s to mid-1960s, while still living in France, Vigas was invited to participate in an important survey about Latin American art in which he received the first prize: the Gulf-Caribbean Art Exhibition, curated by Lee Malone at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. He also had exhibitions at the Slater Memorial Museum of Norwich, Connecticut and the University of Nebraska Art Gallery, and participated in the Contemporary Drawings from Latin America show at the Pan-American Union in Washington, D.C. He was included in another large survey exhibition, South American Art Today, curated by José Gómez Sicre at the Dallas Museum of Fine Art.
Influenced by a visit to Picasso in 1955 and by an interest in anthropology and so-called "primitive cultures", Vigas channeled his works of the 1950s into a search for an authentic language, combining gestural, geometric and figurative paintings. This led him to progressively explore connections with early cultures and the notion of a personal identity marked by telluric, magical and personal imaginative resources, which can be found in his works from the 1960s onward.
He lived in Paris for twelve years, where he met his wife Janine and was associated with Fernand Léger, Max Ernst, and Wifredo Lam. In 1964, he moved back to Valencia, Venezuela and continued to exhibit his work thoroughly throughout the country. In 1967, his son Lorenzo was born, and in 1970, he relocated to Caracas.

### Venezuela

During the early 1960s, Vigas explored informalism, using thick black lines to portray the figure through abstract volumes and shapes. Soon after his arrival in Venezuela, he was named Cultural Director of the Universidad de Los Andes. He simultaneously accepted an appointment as artistic director of the Instituto Nacional de Cultura y Bellas Artes (INCIBA), promoting the work of artists and exhibitions, as well as contributing to the creation of national Salons and awards to help artists from around the country. He remained in office until 1972.
From the mid 60's onwards, Vigas' work progressively shifted back from informalism to a new figurative phase. During the 1980s, Vigas produced a series of tapestries and ceramic works, as well as his first bronze-cast sculptures.
In 1990, the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Caracas Sofía Imber organized a major retrospective of his works, showcasing paintings, sculptures, tapestries, ceramics and jewelry. Lagoven, the oil company and subsidiary of PDVSA, produced a documentary film about his work.
In 1992 the city of Monte Carlo honored him with the Prince Rainier Grand Prize, and the Monnaie de Paris organized a retrospective from 1952 to 1993 showcasing one hundred and thirty-two works comprising paintings, ceramics and sculptures.
In 2008, he was designated Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres de France.
During his later years, Vigas continued to work and exhibit worldwide, gaining further international recognition. In 2012 he was invited to participate in the Un Coeur, un Monde group show that traveled through France, the United States, Vietnam, Australia, Brazil and Japan. He was also invited to exhibit at The Latin American & Caribbean Contemporary Art Today survey at the Miura Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan.

## Death and legacy

Vigas died on April 22, 2014 in Caracas, at the age of 90. He was survived by his wife Janine Vigas and his son Lorenzo.
The Oswaldo Vigas Foundation (Fundación Oswaldo Vigas) was created to continue to expand his art legacy worldwide. A major anthological exhibition travelled throughout the Americas to Peru, Chile, and Colombia, titled Oswaldo Vigas Anthological 1943-2013.
His son, the filmmaker Lorenzo Vigas, with his first feature film From Afar, won the Golden Lion for best film of the 2015 Venice Film Festival.

## Awards and honors

Vigas received a Doctor Honoris Causa degree from the Universidad de Los Andes in 1999, and from the Universidad Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho (UGMA), in Barcelona, Venezuela.
Vigas received the International Association of Art Critics Award twice, in 2008 and 2014; in 2004, he was the recipient of the Latin Union Award in Washington, DC.

## Exhibitions
### Solo exhibitions

A major anthological exhibition of Vigas' work traveled throughout the Americas. The first installment of Oswaldo Vigas Anthological: 1943- 2013 was held at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Lima, Peru; the show then traveled to the National Museum of Fine Arts in Santiago, Chile, and it will open in Bogotá, Colombia in July 2015.
This is a listing of select exhibitions of Vigas.
| Year | Title | Location | Notes |
| 2019 | Oswaldo Vigas: Transformations | Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa, Florida, United States | |
| 2018 | Oswaldo Vigas: Transformations | Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States | |
| 2016 | Oswaldo Vigas Antológica 1943–2013 | Museum of Contemporary Art at the University of São Paulo (Museu de Arte Contemporânea), São Paulo, Brazil | |
| 2015 | Oswaldo Vigas Antológica 1943–2013 | Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Santiago, Chile | |
| 2015 | Donación Oswaldo Vigas | Museo Jean Lurçat et de la Tapisserie Contemporaine (Jean-Lurçat Museum and Contemporary Tapestry), Angers, France | |
| 2014 | Oswaldo Vigas: transfigurations | Dillon Gallery, New York, New York, United States | |
| 2014 | Homenaje a Oswaldo Vigas | Galería de Arte Nacional, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 2014 | Oswaldo Vigas Antológica 1943–2013 | Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Lima [es], Lima, Peru | |
| 2014 | Oswaldo Vigas Antológica 1943–2013 | Museo de Arte Moderno, Bogotá, Colombia | This was the first location of the traveling exhibition. |
| 2012 | El dibujo en la obra de Oswaldo Vigas, 1940-2012 | Gabinete del Dibujo y la Estampa de Valencia, Venezuela. | Retrospective exhibition that included 100 works. |
| 2012 | Feria Iberoamericana de Arte de Caracas, FIA 2012 | Galería de Arte Ascaso, Galería Medicci and 700 Arte of Maracaibo. | |
| 2012 | Exposición de arte iberoamericano | Madrid, Spain | Exhibition to mark of the celebration of the two hundred years of the establishment of the Supreme Court of Spain. |
| 2011 | Oswaldo Vigas. Mérida, Paris, Caracas. Peintures | Centre d´Art Villa Tamaris, La Seyne-sur-mer, France | Retrospective exhibition that included 170 works. |
| 2011 | Feria Iberoamericana de Arte de Caracas, FIA 2011 | Galería de Arte Ascaso and Galería Medicci | |
| 2010 | Oswaldo Vigas. De brujas a curanderas | Parque Fernando Peñalver, Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela | |
| 2009 | Mujeres, mujeres y mujeres, Alianza Francesa based in La Castellana | Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 2009 | Oswaldo Vigas en InterValores | InterValores, Chacao, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 2007 | Oswaldo Vigas: pasión por la creación, (March) | Galería Corporación Andina de Fomento (CAF), Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 2007 | Tierra y fuego | Fundación Banco Provincial, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 2005 | Oswaldo Vigas: grabados recientes | French Alliance (Alianza Francesa), Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 2005 | Oswaldo Vigas: sortilèges des tropiques | Museo Jean Lurçat et de la Tapisserie Contemporaine, Angers, France | |
| 2004 | Ideografías de Paris, 1952–1957, Oswaldo Vigas | Museo de Arte Contemporáneo del Zulia, Maracaibo, Venezuela | |
| 2003 | Oswaldo Vigas, recuerdos del presente | Galería de Arte Ascaso, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 2002 | Ideografías de Paris, 1952–1957, Oswaldo Vigas | Tenji Gallery, Tokyo, Japan | |
| 2002 | Ideografías de Paris, 1952–1957, Oswaldo Vigas | Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Caracas Sofía Imber, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 1998 | Oswaldo Vigas, painting and sculpture | Aldo Castillo Gallery, Chicago, USA | |
| 1997 | Vigas en Maracaibo | Galería 700 Arte, Maracaibo, Venezuela | |
| 1997 | Oswaldo Vigas. Obras clave de 1952 a 1997 | Comandancia General de la Aviación, Caracas, Venezuela | tribute of the Venezuelan Air Force to Oswaldo Vigas |
| 1996 | Oswaldo Vigas, un hombre americano | Casa de Las Américas, Havana, Cuba | |
| 1995 | Oswaldo Vigas. Mutants, pélélés, contorsionnistes et autres zigotos | Galerie La Tour des Cardinaux, L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, France | |
| 1995 | Oswaldo Vigas. La obra reciente | Grupo Li-Centro de Arte, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 1993 | Vigas, de 1952 a 1993 | Museum Monnaie de Paris, Paris, France | |
| 1993 | Oswaldo Vigas, la obra reciente | Grupo Li-Centro de Arte, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 1990 | Retrospectiva Vigas: lo figurativo y lo telúrico | Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Caracas Sofía Imber, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 1989 | Ceremoniales | Centro Armitano Arte, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 1987 | Paisajes andinos, with Marius Sznajderman | Galería Los Espacios Cálidos, Ateneo de Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 1981 | Tapicería de Oswaldo Vigas | Museo de Bellas Artes, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 1979 | Antológica Ritos elementales, dioses oscuros | Instituto de Arte Panameño, Panama | |
| 1979 | Antológica Ritos elementales, dioses oscuros | Galería de Arte Nacional, Caracas Venezuela | |
| 1977 | Oswaldo Vigas, imagen de una identidad expresiva | Galería del Instituto Nacional de Cultura, Museo de Arte Italiano, Lima, Peru | |
| 1973 | Retrospectiva Oswaldo Vigas: 1943–1973, | Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Bogotá, Bogotá, Colombia | |
| 1970 | Mitificaciones | Fundación Eugenio Mendoza, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 1970 | Tapicerías | Galería Antañona, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 1967 | Venezuelan witches | Galería del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo, Washington, DC, United States | |
| 1967 | Vigas: pinturas 1965-1967 | Fundación Eugenio Mendoza, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 1966 | Retrospectiva Las brujas, árbol genealógico: 1941-1952 | Galería 22, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 1964 | Oswaldo Vigas: pinturas de los años 1960-1964 | Fundación Eugenio Mendoza, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 1964 | Vigas: grabados, dibujos, gouaches | Ateneo de Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 1964 | Oswaldo Vigas: retrospectiva: 1941-1964 | Ateneo de Valencia, Valencia, Venezuela | |
| 1963 | Vigas | Galería Neufville, Paris, France | |
| 1961 | Vigas, peintures recéntes | Galerie La Roue, Paris, France | |
| 1958 | Oswaldo Vigas of Venezuela | Pan American Union, Washington, DC, United States | |
| 1958 | Blancos y negros | Fundación Eugenio Mendoza, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 1957 | | Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, Madrid, Spain | |
| 1957 | Oswaldo Vigas: 1953-1957 | Fundación Eugenio Mendoza, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 1956 | Blanc et noir | Galería La Roue, Paris, France | large-format drawings were on display |
| 1952 | Retrospectiva Oswaldo Vigas: 1946-1952 | Museo de Bellas Artes, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 1942 | Ateneo de Valencia | Valencia, Venezuela | first painting exhibition. |

### Group exhibitions

| Year | Title | Location | Notes |
| 2013 | Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas (CUC): síntesis de las artes mayores seis décadas 1953–2013, Fundación BBVA Provincial | University City of Caracas (Spanish: Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas), Caracas, Venezuela | Became a UNESCO Heritage site in 2000, and features contributions from Calder, Lam, Hans Arp, Victor Vasarely and more. |
| 2011 | IV Bienal de Esculturas | Galería de Arte Trazos, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 2010 | Galería de Arte | Parque Negra Hipólita, Valencia, Venezuela | |
| 2010 | Honored Artist at the XV Salón Cabriales de Pintura | XV Salón Cabriales de Pintura, University of Carabobo, Valencia, Venezuela | |
| 2010 | Chicago ARTEahora | Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami, Florida, United States | |
| 2009 | Honored Artist at the FIAAM | Maracaibo, Venezuela | |
| 2008 | Artistes de l’Atelier 3 | Jean-Lurcat Museum and Contemporary Tapestry (Musée Jean Lurçat et de la Tapisserie Contemporaine), Angers, France | |
| 2008 | Art Nocturne Knokke | Cultuurcentrum Scharpoord, Knokke, Belgium | |
| 2008 | Atelier 3 Transpositions. Tapisseries, 1972-2008 | Jean-Lurcat Museum and Contemporary Tapestry (Musée Jean Lurçat et de la Tapisserie Contemporaine), Angers, France | |
| 2006 | Le Musée de la Tapisserie a 20 ans, | Jean-Lurcat Museum and Contemporary Tapestry (Musée Jean Lurçat et de la Tapisserie Contemporaine), Angers, France | |
| 2006 | Iberoamérica | University of Saint Francis, Joliet, Illinois, United States | |
| 2004 | Caracas à Paris | French Alliance of Paris (Alianza Francesa de Paris), Paris, France | Exhibition to mark his thirty years in Venezuela. |
| 2003 | La Megaexposición 1900-2000 | Galería de Arte Nacional, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 2003 | Arte venezolano del siglo XX. Colección PDVSA | Museo de Arte Contemporáneo del Zulia, Maracaibo, Venezuela | |
| 2002 | Geometría como vanguardia. Colección Banco Mercantil | Museo Alejandro Otero, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 2002 | Abstracción geométrica en Venezuela | Galería de Arte Nacional, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 2002 | Latinamerican & Caribbean Art Today | Miura Museum of Art, Miura, Japan | |
| 2002 | Reacción y polémica en el arte venezolano | Galería de Arte Nacional, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 2001 | I Salón de Arte Exxon Mobil de Venezuela | Museo Sacro de Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 2000 | Un coeur, un monde (one heart, one world) | Maison de la Culture du Japon, Paris, France | |
| 2000 | Peinture et Sculpture d’Amérique Latine | Festival La Cita, Biarritz, France | |
| 2000 | Colección del Museo | Museo de Bellas Artes, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 2000 | Etats d’un temps, Colección Fonds Départemental d’Art Contemporain (FDAC) | Centre Culturel de Paris Sucy, Sucy-en-Brie, France | |
| 1998 | Obras de la colección del FDA | Maison du Citoyen, Fontenay-sous-bois, France | |
| 1997 | El Taller Libre de Arte, 1948-1952 | Museo Jacobo Borges, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 1997 | Tapisseries de l’Atelier 3 | Auditorium de Lyon, Lyon, France | |
| 1995 | Salon de Mai | Espace Eiffel-Branly, Paris, France | |
| 1995 | XXIX Prix International d’Art Contemporain de Monte Carlo | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Special guest |
| 1995 | El arte venezolano en los años 60. La década prodigiosa | Museo de Bellas Artes, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 1995 | Venezuela, de l’art populaire à l’art contemporain | Centre Culturel de Boulogne-Billancourt, Paris, France | |
| 1994 | Adquisitions 1993 | Fonds Départemental d’Art Contemporain (FDAC), Paris, France | |
| 1994 | Tapisseries d’aujourd’hui sur murs d’autrefois | Château des Adhémar, Montelimar, France | |
| 1992 | From Torres-García to Soto | Art Museum of the Americas, Organization of American States (OEA), Washington DC, United States | |
| 1992 | XXVII Prix International d’Art Contemporain de Monte Carlo | Monte Carlo, Monaco | |
| 1990 | LatinArtCa 90 | La Galerie d’Art Lavalin, Montreal, Canada | |
| 1990 | Reencuentro, Premios Arturo Michelena 1943-1989 y Premios Andrés Pérez Mujica 1951-1989 | Galería de Arte Ascaso, Valencia, Venezuela | |
| 1990 | Latin American drawings today | San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, California, United States | |
| 1989 | Arte de los países bolivarianos | Museo de Bellas Artes, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 1981 | Omaggio a Picasso, | Palazzo Robellini, Erba, Italy | |
| 1981 | Pro-Posición 20 | Galería de Arte Nacional, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 1980 | El arte constructivo venezolano | Galería de Arte Nacional, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 1980 | Segunda Bienal Iberoamericana de Arte | Instituto Pedro Domecq, Mexico City, México | |
| 1980 | Chicago International Art Exhibition | Navy Pier, Chicago, Illinois, United States | |
| 1980 | Indagación de la imagen | Galería de Arte Nacional, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 1979 | El arte figurativo en América Latina | Museo de Bellas Artes, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 1976 | Latin Excellence, Contemporary Hispanic Art, | Xerox Corporation Center, Rochester, New York, United States | |
| 1975 | Panorama de la pintura venezolana | Casa de Las Américas, Havana, Cuba | |
| 1974 | Ocho artistas venezolanos | Galería Aele, Madrid, España | |
| 1973 | World Print Competition | San Francisco, California, United States | |
| 1972 | La Colección de Ewa Gartztecka | National Museum of Wroclaw, Wrocław, Poland | |
| 1965 | Venezolanische Malerei von Heute, Alemania, traveling exhibition of Venezuelan artists | | |
| 1964 | | Casa de Las Américas, Havana, Cuba | |
| 1963 | Musée Maison de la Culture, Le Havre, France | | |
| 1962 | XXXI Bienal de Venecia, Italia | Venice, Italy | |
| 1962 | Instituto Cultural Venezolano-Israelí | New York, New York, United States | |
| 1962 | Venezuelan painter, Salon des Réalités Nouvelles, Paris, France | | |
| 1962 | | Museum of Rabat, Rabat, Morocco | |
| 1962 | Pintores venezolanos de la Escuela de París | Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, France | |
| 1959 | | Palacio de la Inquisición, Cartagena, Colombia | |
| 1959 | Arte latinoamericano contemporáneo | Pan American Union, Washington DC, United States | |
| 1959 | Paintings and drawings from Latin America | Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, Dallas, Texas, United States | |
| 1958 | Carnegie International | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States | |
| 1956 | Musée de Picardie | Amiens, France | |
| 1956 | Permanence de l’Art | Musée d’Art et d’Histoire, Geneva, Switzerland | |
| 1956 | Picasso y el arte contemporáneo hispanoamericano | Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas, United States | |
| 1956 | Homenaje a Paul Klee | Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City, México | |
| 1956 | Bienal Internacional de Pintura y Grabado | | |
| 1955 | Bienal de São Paulo | São Paulo, Brasil | |
| 1955 | Carnegie International | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States | |
| 1954 | Works for the University City of Caracas | Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris, France | |
| 1954 | XXVII Bienal de Venecia Italia y Pan American Union | Washington DC, United States | |
| 1735 | Bienal de São Paulo | São Paulo, Brasil | |
| 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1961, 1963, 1978, 1980 | Salon de Mai | Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, France |

## Publications

* Oswaldo Vigas: antológica 1943 - 2013 (Exhibition catalog). Venezuela: Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. 2015. ISBN 9789807690003.
* Oswaldo Vigas, Sortilèges des Tropiques: peintures, tapisseries, sculptures, céramiques 1950-2005 [Oswaldo Vigas, Charm of the Tropics: paintings, tapestries, sculptures, ceramics 1950 – 2005] (Exhibition catalog). Angers, France: Musée Jean Lurçat et de la Tapisserie Contemporaine. 2005. ISBN 9782901287902.
* Oswaldo Vigas: ideografiás de Pariś, 1952-1957 (Exhibition catalog). Caracas, Venezuela: Embajada de Francia in Venezuela, Museo de Arte Contemporańeo de Caracas, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Caracas Sofía Imber. 2002. ISBN 9789802722266.