Pérez Celis
Encyclopedia
Celis Pérez was an Argentine
artist usually referred to as Pérez Celis. He earned international recognition for his paintings, sculptures, murals and engravings.
on the South side of Buenos Aires
, and grew up in Liniers
, on the opposite end of town. Working as a newsboy during childhood, he learned the basics of drawing and painting via correspondence classes. He enrolled at the Belgrano School of Fine Arts in 1954, and first exhibited at age 17, at Galería La Fantasma. Following his entry into the professional arts world, he bagen using his name in a reversed form. Inspired by Hungarian art
ist Victor Vasarely
during a 1957 restrospective of the latter's works at the National Fine Arts Museum
, he married Sara Fernández, relocated to Uruguay
, and joined figures such as Úrsula Von der Lippen
and Carlos Páez Vilaró in the "Group of 8"proponents of abstract art
among the normally conservative local audiences.
He returned to Buenos Aires in 1961, and opened a downtown atelier with the support of the Torcuato di Tella Institute
, a major center for local contemporary artists. Pérez explored geometric art, and exhibited his first major work, Fuerza América, in 1962. Indigenous patterns and colors would reappear in many of his productions during the 1960s and 1970s, and distinguished him from most other local artists, among whom pop art
and figurative art
was more influential. Pérez was featured in more than 120 solo shows during his career, notably the Gallerie Bellechasse, and his art was purchased for many private collections and first-rate museums, including the Museum of Modern Art
in New York. He received commissions from the Argentine government, which placed his work in the Ministro Pistarini International Airport
, from other governments, and from prominent individuals and businesses.
Tragedy stuck Pérez Celis' life in 1975, when an automobile accident killed his wife, and resulted in months of physical therapy for his injuries. He remarried, to Margarita Laconich, in 1977, and lived in Caracas
, New York
, and Miami in subsequent years. He relocated to Buenos Aires in 1985, however, and hosted retrospectives of his work at the Centro Cultural Recoleta
and the Argentine Senate
, shortly afterwards. He lost his second wife, but continued to work, exhibiting in the Sanyo Gallery in Tokyo
, and at numerous universities. Among his numerous recognitions in later years was the Alba Award at the 61st Salón Nacional de Artes Plásticas Argentino, and he was proclaimed a Distinguished Citizen of the City of Buenos Aires in 2001.
He also created several literary illustrations, notably those for Jorge Luis Borges
' Spanish-language translation of Walt Whitman
's poem Leaves of Grass
. A fan of the Club Atlético Boca Juniors football team, he created two murals in 1997 for the team's La Bombonera Stadium
in Buenos Aires: "Idolos" (Idols) and "Mito y Destino" (Myth and Destiny), both Venetian mosaics and bronze on cement.
Pérez Celis developed leukemia
, and underwent a lengthy series of treatments. Ultimately, however, the noted artist lost his life in Buenos Aires in 2008, at age 69.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
artist usually referred to as Pérez Celis. He earned international recognition for his paintings, sculptures, murals and engravings.
Life and work
Pérez was born in San TelmoSan Telmo
San Telmo is the oldest barrio of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is a well-preserved area of the Argentine metropolis and is characterized by its colonial buildings. Cafes, tango parlors and antique shops line the cobblestone streets, which are often filled with artists and dancers.San Telmo's...
on the South side of Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, and grew up in Liniers
Liniers
Liniers is a barrio of Buenos Aires on the edge of the city, centered on Rivadavia Avenue. It is also an important train station and bus hub, connecting western Gran Buenos Aires with the Buenos Aires Metro...
, on the opposite end of town. Working as a newsboy during childhood, he learned the basics of drawing and painting via correspondence classes. He enrolled at the Belgrano School of Fine Arts in 1954, and first exhibited at age 17, at Galería La Fantasma. Following his entry into the professional arts world, he bagen using his name in a reversed form. Inspired by Hungarian art
Hungarian art
Hungarian art stems from the period of the conquest of the Carpathian basin by the people of Árpád in the 9th century. Prince Árpád also organized earlier people settled in the area.-Horsemen in the Carpathian basin:...
ist Victor Vasarely
Victor Vasarely
Victor Vasarely was a Hungarian French artist whose work is generally seen aligned with Op-art.His work entitled Zebra, created by Vasarely in the 1930s, is considered by some to be one of the earliest examples of Op-art...
during a 1957 restrospective of the latter's works at the National Fine Arts Museum
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Buenos Aires)
The National Museum of Fine Arts is an Argentine art museum in Buenos Aires, located in the Recoleta section of the city. The MNBA inaugurated a branch in Neuquén in 2004.-History:...
, he married Sara Fernández, relocated to Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, and joined figures such as Úrsula Von der Lippen
Úrsula Von der Lippen
Úrsula von der Lippen is an Argentine artist known for her works of figurative art.- Biographical notes :She was born of German parents in 1944 in the city of Bernal, a suburb to the south of Buenos Aires. Her childhood home gave onto a sloping square overlooking the Río de la Plata...
and Carlos Páez Vilaró in the "Group of 8"proponents of abstract art
Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
among the normally conservative local audiences.
He returned to Buenos Aires in 1961, and opened a downtown atelier with the support of the Torcuato di Tella Institute
Torcuato di Tella Institute
The Torcuato di Tella Institute is a non-profit foundation organized for the promotion of Argentine culture.-Overview:The di Tella Foundation and its institute were created on July 22, 1958, the tenth anniversary of the death of industrialist and arts patron Torcuato di Tella...
, a major center for local contemporary artists. Pérez explored geometric art, and exhibited his first major work, Fuerza América, in 1962. Indigenous patterns and colors would reappear in many of his productions during the 1960s and 1970s, and distinguished him from most other local artists, among whom pop art
Pop art
Pop art is an art movement that emerged in the mid 1950s in Britain and in the late 1950s in the United States. Pop art challenged tradition by asserting that an artist's use of the mass-produced visual commodities of popular culture is contiguous with the perspective of fine art...
and figurative art
Figurative art
Figurative art, sometimes written as figurativism, describes artwork—particularly paintings and sculptures—which are clearly derived from real object sources, and are therefore by definition representational.-Definition:...
was more influential. Pérez was featured in more than 120 solo shows during his career, notably the Gallerie Bellechasse, and his art was purchased for many private collections and first-rate museums, including the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in New York. He received commissions from the Argentine government, which placed his work in the Ministro Pistarini International Airport
Ministro Pistarini International Airport
Ministro Pistarini International Airport , more commonly known as Ezeiza International Airport owing to its location within the Ezeiza Partido in the Greater Buenos Aires, is an international airport located south-southwest of Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina...
, from other governments, and from prominent individuals and businesses.
Tragedy stuck Pérez Celis' life in 1975, when an automobile accident killed his wife, and resulted in months of physical therapy for his injuries. He remarried, to Margarita Laconich, in 1977, and lived in Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and Miami in subsequent years. He relocated to Buenos Aires in 1985, however, and hosted retrospectives of his work at the Centro Cultural Recoleta
Centro Cultural Recoleta
The Recoleta Cultural Centre is an exhibition and cultural events centre located in the barrio of Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Argentina....
and the Argentine Senate
Argentine Senate
The Argentine Senate is the upper house of the Argentine National Congress. It has 72 senators: three for each province and three for the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires...
, shortly afterwards. He lost his second wife, but continued to work, exhibiting in the Sanyo Gallery in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, and at numerous universities. Among his numerous recognitions in later years was the Alba Award at the 61st Salón Nacional de Artes Plásticas Argentino, and he was proclaimed a Distinguished Citizen of the City of Buenos Aires in 2001.
He also created several literary illustrations, notably those for Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo , known as Jorge Luis Borges , was an Argentine writer, essayist, poet and translator born in Buenos Aires. In 1914 his family moved to Switzerland where he attended school, receiving his baccalauréat from the Collège de Genève in 1918. The family...
' Spanish-language translation of Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman
Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
's poem Leaves of Grass
Leaves of Grass
Leaves of Grass is a poetry collection by the American poet Walt Whitman . Though the first edition was published in 1855, Whitman spent his entire life writing Leaves of Grass, revising it in several editions until his death...
. A fan of the Club Atlético Boca Juniors football team, he created two murals in 1997 for the team's La Bombonera Stadium
Estadio Alberto J. Armando
The Estadio Alberto J. Armando is a stadium located in the La Boca district of Buenos Aires. Widely known as La Bombonera due to its shape, with a "flat" stand on one side of the pitch and three steep stands round the rest of the stadium...
in Buenos Aires: "Idolos" (Idols) and "Mito y Destino" (Myth and Destiny), both Venetian mosaics and bronze on cement.
Later years
His daughter, actress María José Gabín, published a biography of her father in 2007.Pérez Celis developed leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
, and underwent a lengthy series of treatments. Ultimately, however, the noted artist lost his life in Buenos Aires in 2008, at age 69.
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Filmography
- Pérez Celis, (Spanish) USA 2005. Written and directed by Eduardo Montes-BradleyEduardo Montes-Bradley- Filmography :# Waissman Producer, Director. The Heritage Film Project. 2010. Produced by Soledad Liendo. Biographical documentary on the life and works of Argentine artist Andrés Waissman. TV premier November 23, 2010 WPBT Channel 2...
. The documentary, a portrait of Pérez Celis, captures the artist at work in his atelier in Little HaitiLittle HaitiLittle Haiti or La Petite Haïti, and traditionally known as Lemon City, is a neighborhood in Miami, Florida, United States known as a traditional center for Haitian immigrants, and Francophone culture in the city.-Lemon City, early farming days:...
. Throughout a series of conversations with Celis, Montes-Bradley manages to capture rare moments showing the artist at work. The creative process, the brushes on canvas, the mixing of colors, and the drawing of sketches share time on the screen with the anecdotical, and traces of a political road map followed by Celis from the mid 1940's to the present.