Through his vast artistic expressions, Ecuador’s official painter, Oswaldo Guayasamín (1919–1999), had the guts to expose crimes against humanity and social and political injustice. At the Museum of Latin American Art, an 80-piece exhibition of his work – paintings, drawings and prints created between 1937 and 1996 – deals with the plight of indigenous peoples in the Andean region, as well as human suffering, war and violence throughout the world.
Guayasamín’s non-academic style is considered indigenismo, reflective of the region’s native indigenous people and their culture he championed. Using dramatic and exaggerated proportions and forms, Guayasamín infused his figures with a wide range of emotions, endowing them with human dignity despite grief, loss and anguish. The exhibition is the first in Southern California to highlight the 60-year career of a significant Latin American artist.
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WHAT Of Rage and Redemption: The Art of Oswaldo Guayasamín
WHERE Museum of Latin American Art, 628 Alamitos Ave., Long Beach, (562) 437-1689; molaa.org
WHEN Through August 16
