Eva Díaz Torres (1943 – 14 February 1993) was a Uruguayan ceramicist, who specialised in the production of

Raku ware is a type of Japanese pottery traditionally used in Japanese tea ceremonies, most often in the form of '' chawan'' tea bowls. It is traditionally characterised by being hand-shaped rather than thrown, fairly porous vessels, which result from lo ...

. A member of the

Tupamaros The National Liberation Movement – Tupamaros (, MLN-T) was a Marxist–Leninist urban guerrilla group that operated in Uruguay during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1989, the group was admitted into the Broad Front and a large number of its membe ...

, she was imprisoned for her political beliefs from 1972 to 1974.

Biography

Díaz was born in

Tarrasa 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 ...

in 1943. She was the daughter of the sculptor Eduardo Díaz Yepes ( es) and Olimpia Torres ( es), and the granddaughter of the master of constructivism

Joaquín Torres García Joaquín or Joaquin is a male given name, the Spanish version of Joachim. Given name * Joaquín (footballer, born 1956) (Joaquín Alonso González), Spanish football midfielder * Joaquín (footballer, born 1981) (Joaquín Sánchez Rodríguez) ...

. She emigrated with her family to Paris in 1946, and returned to Montevideo in 1947, settling in Uruguay. In 1958 her interest in ceramics began and she entered the

Torres García Workshop Torres may refer to: People *Torres (surname), a Spanish and Portuguese surname *Torres (musician), singer-songwriter Mackenzie Scott ** ''Torres'' (album), 2013 self-titled album by Torres Places Americas *Torres, Colorado, an unincorporated co ...

( es), where she received training from the painter and ceramicist

José Gurvich José Gurvich (January 5, 1927 – June 24, 1974) was a Uruguayan painter, potter, musician and a key figure in the Constructivism Art movement. Life and career Zusmanas Gurvicius was born on January 5, 1927, in Jieznas, Lithuania, to Ja ...

. Whilst there she also took classes with the Catalan potter Josep Collell. Díaz's concern for social justice drove her to join the

Movimiento de Liberación Nacional-Tupamaros The National Liberation Movement – Tupamaros (, MLN-T) was a Marxist–Leninist urban guerrilla group that operated in Uruguay during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1989, the group was admitted into the Broad Front and a large number of its member ...

. In 1972 she was arrested and prosecuted by the military dictatorship. She was confined in a detention centre for political prisoners until the end of 1974. After being released from prison, she emigrated with his family first to Costa Rica for a brief stay, and then to Barcelona. In 1985 she returned to Uruguay, where she once again set up a workshop. She worked with various techniques, developing research and analysis in ceramic and enamel techniques. She presented her work in collective exhibitions and in a solo show at the Exhibition Hall of the Municipal Palace of Montevideo. during this period, Díaz expanded her knowledge of and experimentation with

, developing a series of sculptural pieces and becoming a prominent Uruguayan exponent of the technique. Díaz died in Montevideo on 14 February 1993.

Legacy

In 2009, a retrospective of Díaz's work was held at the

Torres Garcia Museum Torres may refer to: People *Torres (surname), a Spanish and Portuguese surname *Torres (musician), singer-songwriter Mackenzie Scott ** ''Torres'' (album), 2013 self-titled album by Torres Places Americas * Torres, Colorado, an unincorporated c ...

. In March 2018, an anthological exhibition of Díaz's work was held at the Gurvich Museum in

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 ...

. Curated by her daughters

Jimena Jimena or is the Spanish female version of the given name Jimeno. The French rendering of the name is Chimène. It has come to be viewed as a form of the name Simone, though their origins are distinct. A variant is Ximena. People with the nam ...

, a curator, and Micaela Perera Díaz, the show featured fifty ceramics from her rakú technique body of work.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Díaz Torres, Eva 1943 births 1993 deaths Uruguayan women artists Women potters Women ceramists Artists from Montevideo Artists from Barcelona 20th-century Uruguayan women artists