Oswaldo Guayasamín

Oswaldo Guayasamín was an Ecuadorian artist (Quito, Ecuador, 1919–Baltimore, United States, 1999), recognized for a body of work marked by strong social and humanist commitment. He trained at the School of Fine Arts in Quito, where he developed a practice focused on painting, drawing, sculpture, and muralism.

His work is known for an expressive language of great emotional intensity, addressing suffering, injustice, violence, and human dignity. Through series such as Huacayñán, La edad de la ira, and La edad de la ternura, Guayasamín represented historical memory, the oppression of Indigenous and marginalized peoples, and the hope linked to childhood, motherhood, and the human condition.

His work is part of collections such as MoMA, Museo Reina Sofía, the BBVA Collection, and the Art Museum of the Americas. He presented exhibitions in institutions such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Madrid, the Art Museum of the Americas, and La Capilla del Hombre in Quito. His awards include the UNESCO José Martí International Prize, awarded posthumously in 1999.