Andrés Curruchich (full name Andrés Curruchich Cúmez, sometimes called "Andrew") (19 January 1891 – 18 February 1969) was a

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

naïve Naivety (also spelled naïvety), naiveness, or naïveté is the state of being naive. It refers to an apparent or actual lack of experience and sophistication, often describing a neglect of pragmatism in favor of moral idealism. A ''naïve'' may b ...

painter of the

Kaqchikel people The Kaqchikel (also called Kachiquel) are one of the indigenous Maya peoples of the midwestern highlands in Guatemala. They constitute Guatemala's third largest Maya group. The name was formerly spelled in various other ways, including Cakchiquel ...

from the Kaqchikel town of

San Juan Comalapa San Juan Comalapa is a town, with a population of 32,312 (2018 census), and a municipality in the Chimaltenango department of Guatemala. San Juan Comalapa is sometimes called the "Florence of America", because of the many Kaqchikel painters livin ...

. Andrés Curruchich is considered the first and most important of the naïve painters of San Juan Comalapa. He was born in 1891, and began to paint in the 1920s as a means to try to earn extra money. In the 1930s and 1940s he was invited to exhibit his works in various festivals and fairs in Guatemala. By 1950 his work was known in Guatemala City, and at this time he began to paint in oils on canvas. During the 1950s he exhibited in Guatemala City and at various galleries in the United States. His work depicted the life of his native Mayan people in very simple and understandable form. Curruchich was awarded the

Order of the Quetzal The Order of the Quetzal (Spanish: Orden del Quetzal) is Guatemala’s highest honor. History and award conditions Established in 1936, it is bestowed by the Government of Guatemala Politics of Guatemala takes place in a framework of a p ...

by the Guatemalan government in 1960 for his value and contribution to the nation, as well as a small pension. He died in 1969. There is a permanent exhibition of his work at the Ixchel Museum of Indigenous Textiles and Clothing in

Guatemala City Guatemala City ( es, Ciudad de Guatemala), known locally as Guatemala or Guate, is the capital and largest city of Guatemala, and the most populous urban area in Central America. The city is located in the south-central part of the country, nest ...

. Andrés Curruchich spawned a colony of Kaqchikel painters in San Juan Comalapa, which has become a centre for

Maya Maya may refer to: Civilizations * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (Ethiopia), a populat ...

n naïve art in Guatemala. Some 500 artists work in the town, many of them trained by Curruchich. Among those currently best known today are Oscar Peren, Rosa Elena Currichich, Paula Nicho Cumez and María Elena Curruchiche, both granddaughters of Andrés Curruchich

References

Arte y Literatura de Guatemala: Andrés CurruchichBook about Andrés Curruchich's workSpanish language blog about naïve art in Guatemala
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curruchich, Andres Guatemalan artists Naïve painters 1891 births 1969 deaths Latin American artists of indigenous descent Guatemalan Maya people 20th-century indigenous painters of the Americas Maya painters Order of the Quetzal People from Chimaltenango Department Kaqchikel