Eduardo Ramirez

EDUARDO RAMÍREZ VILLAMIZAR (Colombia, 1922-2004).
Untitled.
Iron.
Work reproduced in the catalog raisonné of the artist.
Provenance: Diaz Manzini Gallery (Caracas).
Measurements: 84 x 90 x 132.
The sculpture is a piece in iron of great solidity and visual weight, composed of several planes that intersect and juxtapose, creating a game of shadows and depth. Each plane is worked in angular and robust forms, with surfaces that alternate between rough and smooth textures, which brings a tactile and visual richness to the work. Its construction recalls the style of 20th century Basque sculpture, influenced by artists such as Eduardo Chillida and Jorge Oteiza, who explored the relationship between emptiness and mass, as well as the dialogue between the metal and the surrounding space.
The piece conveys a sense of strength and rootedness, as if it were an integral part of the environment, evoking the connection with nature and the industrial tradition of the Basque region. The metal planes are distributed in directions that suggest expansion and movement, but with a restraint that keeps the form cohesive and structural. The work plays with natural light, casting shadows that vary according to the angle and time of day, adding a dynamic and changing component to its presence.

Eduardo Ramírez Villamizar was a Colombian painter and sculptor. He is considered a pioneer of abstract, minimalist and constructivist art in Colombia and Latin America in general. His father was a jeweler, and his first experiences with the plastic arts took place in his father's workshop. He and his family moved to Cúcuta in 1929 in search of work and economic opportunities after going bankrupt during the Great Depression. In 1940 he moved to Bogota to study architecture at the National University of Colombia, although in 1944 he changed his focus to painting. In 1947 he was invited by the Universidad del Cauca to spend seven months working in Popayán with sculptor Édgar Negret. Negret put Ramírez Villamizar in contact with European avant-garde art, which he had known through his colleague and Basque artist Jorge Oteiza. This experience profoundly influenced Ramírez Villamizar's stylistic development in the following years. After a trip to Machu Picchu, Peru, he was inspired by Inca culture to make constructivist art. In 1978 he received the Order of Boyacá, the highest decoration granted by the Colombian government in times of peace. The following year he also received the ColCultura Medal and the José Eusebio Caro Medal. The Ramírez Villamizar Museum of Modern Art, created in 1990 in Pamplona, his hometown, bears his name.