Gabriel Bracho (born 25 May 1915 in Los Puertos de Altagracia,

Zulia Zulia State (, ; Wayuu: ''Mma’ipakat Suuria'') is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is Maracaibo. As of the 2011 census, it has a population of 3,704,404, the largest population among Venezuela's states. It is also one of t ...

, died 6 March 1995 in

Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

) was a Venezuelan artist. He and César Rengifo were major exponents of the

social realism Social realism is work produced by painters, printmakers, photographers, writers, filmmakers and some musicians that aims to draw attention to the real socio-political conditions of the working class as a means to critique the power structures ...

artistic movement in Venezuela.Gabriel Bracho - Un Pintor de la Realidad by David Alfaro Siquerios (1973 Pub Ed Ernesto Armitano) His work is permeated by social, political and historical themes. From 1936 to 1939 he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Caracas and he continued his studies at the Escuela de Artes Aplicadas in Chile until 1942. In 1943 he began a tour of various countries including the USA, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay and Italy which culminated in him living and working in Paris. Flower mirror by Gabriel Bracho

Initially influenced by the impressionists, expressionists and cubists he embraced the nationalistic and revolutionary trends of the Mexican muralists. He returned to Venezuela in 1950 and exhibited in the Caracas Museum of Fine Arts. In 1951 he exhibited at the museum of fine arts in Caracas and in 1953 he completed work on his first major mural ''Venezuela'' (now destroyed). He traveled to

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

where he met and compared notes with his friends

Diego Rivera Diego Rivera (; December 8, 1886 – November 24, 1957) was a Mexican painter. His large frescoes helped establish the Mexican muralism, mural movement in Mexican art, Mexican and international art. Between 1922 and 1953, Rivera painted mural ...

and

David Alfaro Siqueiros David Alfaro Siqueiros (born José de Jesús Alfaro Siqueiros; December 29, 1896 – January 6, 1974) was a Mexican social realist painter, best known for his large public murals using the latest in equipment, materials and technique. Along with ...

amongst others, and in 1957 he exhibited his work at the palace of fine art in Mexico City. In 1958, he returned to Venezuela and with others founded the Taller de Arte Realista group. In 1960 he completed the mural ''Cuba'' located in La Casa de las Américas in Habana. In 1976 he won the first prize at the Exposición de Pintura Realista Comprometida in Bulgaria and in 1986 was awarded the Armando Reveron prize. In 1994 he held a major exhibition in the Venezuelan national gallery and in the same year was awarded the prestigious

National Prize of Plastic Arts of Venezuela National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

. He died in Caracas on 6 March 1995. His main works include ''Nochebuena de los Negros'', ''Tierra'', ''Stalingrado'', ''Petróleo'', ''Horoshima'', ''El Abanderado'', ''Manifestación'' and the murals ''Venezuela'' (1952–1953), ''Lino de Clemente'' (1966–1967), ''Diversiones'', ''Venezuela'' (1971–1972), and ''Boyacá'' (1983) located in the presidential palace Miraflores. His home in Los Puertos de Altagracia is now a museum dedicated to his memory and work.

References

Citations

Other Sources

* ''El Realismo Social en la Pintura 1940-1950'' by Simon Noriega (Pub Universidad de los Andes Consejo de Publicaciones Mérida Venezuela) * ''Alfredo Boulton and his Contemporaries: Critical Dialogues in Venezuelan Art,1912-1974'' by Ariel Jimenez, Hugo Achugar, Roldan Estera-Grillet and Elias Iturrieta, (2008, Ed Ariel Jimenez, Pub The

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

New York)
Gabriel Bracho
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bracho, Gabriel 1915 births 1995 deaths Venezuelan artists