Augusto Torres (

Terrassa Terrassa () is a city in central-eastern Catalonia and in the province of Barcelona (Spain). It is one of the two capitals of Vallès Occidental county, being the larger in both area and population. The name ''Terrassa'' derives from Latin ''Te ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, 19 June 1913 – Barcelona, 13 March 1992) was a Uruguayan painter and muralist of Spanish origin. He was the second son of the painter Joaquín Torres García and Manolita Piña.

Biography

His childhood was spent in various cities. In 1919, the family moved to New York, where they lived until 1922. They then returned to Europe and settled in

Fiesole Fiesole () is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region of Tuscany, on a scenic height above Florence, 5 km (3 miles) northeast of that city. It has structures dating to Etruscan and Roman times. ...

, Italy, where they stayed until 1926. During these years, Augusto became familiar with the

frescoes Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

and the city of

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

. Later, the family relocated to France, settling in Paris in the home of

Jean Hélion Jean Hélion (April 21, 1904October 27, 1987) was a French painter whose abstract work of the 1930s established him as a leading modernist. His midcareer rejection of abstraction was followed by nearly five decades as a figurative painter. He w ...

. This environment sparked Augusto's interest in African sculpture and

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...

. In 1928, at just 15 years old, he was hired by the Musée de Trocadéro (now the Museum of Mankind) to illustrate and catalog its collection of

Inca The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The History of the Incas, Inca ...

and Nazca vessels, igniting his fascination with

pre-Columbian culture This is a list of pre-Columbian cultures. Cultural characteristics Many pre-Columbian civilizations established permanent or urban settlements, agriculture, and complex societal hierarchies. In North America, indigenous cultures in the Lower ...

. He also began studying art history, customs, and the metaphysics of Indigenous American peoples. In 1930, he worked in the studio of Julio González, assisting in the creation of a replica of Picasso's Hommage à Apollinaire. Picasso often visited the workshop, exposing Augusto to an influential artistic environment. In 1934, the family relocated to

Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

, Uruguay, where Joaquín Torres Garcia founded the Taller Torres-García. Augusto became one of its most prominent members, contributing significantly to the dissemination of Constructivist principles in Latin America. In the Taller Torres-García, Augusto developed his craft under his father’s guidance, focusing on the Constructive Universalism philosophy, which emphasized geometric forms and universal symbols. Over time, Augusto’s style evolved, incorporating more expressive and introspective elements.

Artistic career

Influences and style

Augusto Torres’s early work was deeply influenced by the teachings of his father and the collective efforts of the Taller Torres-García. He specialized in creating balanced compositions using geometric abstraction. Over time, he moved beyond strict Constructivism, exploring themes of identity, nature, and cultural heritage.

Notable exhibitions

* Sala Dalmau in Barcelona frequently exhibited Augusto’s work, providing an essential platform for his artistic recognition in Europe. * Retrospectives at institutions such as the Museo Nacional de Artes Visuales (MNAV) in Montevideo have honored his legacy, showcasing a wide array of his works.

Mural work

* 1943: Mural in the house of architect Freddy Guttman in Buenos Aires. * 1944: Participates alongside Torres-García and members of his Taller in the creation of murals for the Saint-Bois Hospital, Montevideo. * 1954: 2 x 6 m mural for the Medical Union of Montevideo. * 1958: Relief mural for Liceo Miranda, Montevideo. * 1964: Collaborates with architect Antoni Bonet on a large limestone mural for the Río de la Plata Bank in Montevideo. * 1968: 2 x 6 m ceramic mural in the house of architect Ernesto Leborgne. * 1976: 27-square-meter polychrome wooden mural carved in collaboration with architect Antoni Bonet in Barcelona. * 1978: 4 x 1.60 m mural for Discount Bank Overseas Ltd. in Montevideo. * 1979: Two murals, one in wood (2.75 x 14.74 m) and another in ceramic (2.72 x 16.5 m), created in collaboration with architect Antoni Bonet.

Later recognition

In his later years, Augusto continued to produce art that bridged modernist principles with his own experimental forms. His work was celebrated for its blend of universal geometric language and personal expression, earning him recognition as one of Uruguay’s foremost

modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

artists.

Legacy

Augusto Torres’s contributions to modern art in Uruguay and abroad have cemented his place as a key figure in 20th-century Latin American art. His works remain part of significant public and private collections, continuing to inspire new generations of artists. Galleries such as Artsper and Sala Dalmau continue to feature his art.