Background
Ramirez Villamizar was born on August 23, 1922 in Pamplona, Norte de Santander, Colombia.
Eduardo Ramírez Villamizar (with a beard) with the filmmaker Herminio Barrera, Museum of Modern Art in Bucaramanga
Museum of Modern Art Ramírez Villamizar in Pamplona.
Ramirez Villamizar was born on August 23, 1922 in Pamplona, Norte de Santander, Colombia.
He pursued his studies in Bogotá, Colombia, first in architecture and ultimately in fine arts.
Villamizar started as a figurative painter in the field of expressionism since 1950.
From 1950 to 1956 he sailed for a period of time, traveling around Paris and New York, United States, which was key in the assertion of his interests, especially in abstraction. His endeavors began in abstract painting and then gradually evolved into geometric sculpture by the way of white, monochrome reliefs. During this time, Villamizar became acquainted with the work of the most influential artists in Europe and New York City, some of whom he met in person. In New York Villamizar participated in multiple exhibitions. In 1956 the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) purchased one of his pieces.
Back in Colombia in 1957, Villamizar started creating very large public reliefs, the first of their kind in the country. In his sculptures he followed the line of geometry, initiated a decade ago by Hugo Martínez González. Later Villamizar did a number of large murals and public sculptures outside his home country, became a teacher at New York University and represented Colombia in 1969’s Sao Paulo Biennale.
Upon his return to Colombia in 1974, Villamizar created the large-scale sculpture "Sixteen Towers" on the top of Bogotá’s Hills.
Besides, some important exhibitions in his career include the 1976 Venice Biennale in which he represented Colombia, The Rufino Tamayo Museum in Mexico, Le Grand Palais in Paris, Museum of Contemporary Art Caracas, and the Museum of Art of the National University Bogotá.
Ramirez Villamizar died on August 23, 1922 in Pamplona, Norte de Santander, Colombia. His ashes rest in the Museum of Modern Art Ramírez Villamizar of Pamplona.
