Ana Emma del Rosario Cortés Jullian, more commonly known as Ana Cortés (24 August 1895 – 5 January 1998), was a Chilean

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

of the Grupo Montparnasse. In 1974, she won the

National Prize of Art of Chile The National Prize of Art of Chile, was created on November 9, 1942. It was awarded yearly since 1944 and alternated the mention among Painting or Sculpture, Music and Theatre. In 1992, it was replaced by the National Prize of Chile, National Prize ...

, making her the first painter to do so.

Biography

Ana Cortés was born in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

on 24 August 1895, the third of seven children Ernesto Cortés Ramirez and Ana Jullian Chesi. She studied in the home of Madame Lasaulce as a child, then lived for three years in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

with her godparents, Alejandro Bertrand and Mercedes Vidal. Returning to Chile, she completed her studies at La Serena High school. In 1919, Cortés enrolled in the

University of Chile The University of Chile () is a public university, public research university in Santiago, Chile. It was founded on November 19, 1842, and inaugurated on September 17, 1843.

's and was taught by Frenchmen Juan Francisco González and Ricardo Richon-Brunet. This would have an important effect on her career. She returned to Paris in 1925 to study at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière under André Lhote for the next two years and that same year entered the Académie Colarossi. Cortés would spend the next three years in Europe, touring museums in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, France,

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, and

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, and became inspired by the abstract works of the

School of Paris The School of Paris (, ) refers to the French and émigré artists who worked in Paris in the first half of the 20th century. The School of Paris was not a single art movement or institution, but refers to the importance of Paris as a centre o ...

. In 1927, her work was exhibited at the Salon d'Automne. In 1928, Cortés returned to Chile and joined the teaching staff of the University of Chile as its first female professor. She stayed for three decades. In 2015, she had a solo exhibition of over thirty paintings and drawings at the National Museum of Fine Arts. Currently, her work is on display at the Museo Bellas Artes de Valparaíso.

Citations

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cortes, Ana 1895 births 1998 deaths 20th-century Chilean painters 20th-century Chilean women artists Artists from Santiago, Chile Chilean women centenarians University of Chile alumni