Gabriela and Murúa, 70 Years after the Nobel, by Mario Murúa

From December 4 to December 30 to 2018

In this celebration of the Nobel Prize awarded to Gabriela Mistral in 1945, the well-known Chilean visual artist Mario Murúa presents a colorful and personal vision of the life, work and cosmovision of the poet from the Coquimbo Region who earned a place in world literature.

Using a surrealist language with its roots in pre-Columbian art, the work in this exhibition reveals why this artist from Valparaíso has been considered the “spiritual son” of Roberto Matta.

Born in 1952, Murúa is known for being self-taught and for his travels. In the 1980s in France, he formed part of the Magia Imagen group, which arose from the artistic contributions of Wifredo Lam and Roberto Matta.  After returning to Chile in 1994, he founded the Canimagista Urban School which broadened this movement to other artists.

Murúa’s technique, which is recognized for its expressive and colorful design, has helped to recover Chilean traditions and maintain the influence of poets like Gabriela Mistral. His work is a dialogue between Cubism, Latin Americanism and Diaguita symbols and can be found in the permanent collections of museums like the Caesarea Ralli Museum in Israel, the Bochum Art Museum in Germany and the MAC and the Fine Arts Museum in Santiago.