Artist biography

Oswaldo Guayasamin was born in Quito, Ecuador, on July 6th 1919. He presents his first exhibition at the age of 23, after having graduated from Quito鈥檚 School of Fine Arts in painting and sculpture. Following his travels throughout Latin America, he becomes very sensitive to the numerous problems suffered by Latin America at the time, in particular the oppression towards the indigenous society, a recurring theme in his works. In 1971, he is elected president of Ecuador鈥檚 House of Culture and in 1976 he creates the Guayasamin Foundation in Quito, to which he offers his works and collection. He considered art as a universal heritage, and hence dedicated his entire life to art in order to express his struggle against injustice.