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Beatriz González, Pioneering Colombian Artist of Political Memory, Dies at 93

Her six-decade practice transformed press images into popular-iconic forms that documented Colombia’s political violence.

Overview

  • González died on January 9 at her home in Bogotá at age 93, with Zurich-based Galerie Peter Kilchmann announcing the news and Bogotá’s Casas Riegner confirming it.
  • She repainted press photographs of presidents, massacres, and public mourning in a flattened, gaudy idiom drawn from domestic décor, while also reworking European masterpieces.
  • After the 1985 M-19 attack on Bogotá’s Palace of Justice, her work turned decisively to political imagery, later including memorial projects such as Auras anónimas at the Central Cemetery.
  • Her influence extended through key institutional posts, coordinating education at the Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá (1978–1983) and serving as chief curator of the Museo Nacional de Colombia (1989–2003).
  • A major retrospective is on view at the Pinacoteca de São Paulo through February 1, with shows scheduled at London’s Barbican (February 25–May 10) and Oslo’s Astrup Fearnley Museet (June 12–October 11).