Roberto González Goyri (1924 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 ...

– November 13, 2007 in Guatemala City) 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 ...

n painter, sculptor and muralist. His work was shown at the

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, among other venues. He was notable for his figurative reliefs, free-standing sculptures in stone or metal, and semi-abstract painting in his later years.

Early years

At the age of 14, he entered the

National Academy of Fine Arts The National Academy of Arts ( bg, Национална художествена академия) is an institution of higher education in Sofia, Bulgaria. It is the oldest and most renowned school of arts in the country. History The National ...

where he studied with

Rafael Yela Günther Rafael Yela Günther (September 18, 1888 – April 17, 1942) was a Guatemalan painter and sculptor. Biography Yela studied sculpture under his father Baldomero Yela Montenegro (1859–1909), a sculptor and marble-carver, and afterwards ...

. He then spent times as a draftsman at Guatemala's National Museum of Archeology. Between 1948 and 1952, he studied at the Arts Students League and Sculpture Center of New York on a grant from the Guatemalan government.

Career

Goyri belonged to the group of artists later called the ''Generación del 40'' ("Generation of 1940") whose work was associated with the period of democracy after the Guatemalan Revolution of 1944. He returned to Guatemala in 1952 where he developed his work and was director of the National Arts School. Within Guatemala, his works include a 1959 mural at the Guatemalan Institute of Social Security, and he executed a number of important reliefs in Guatemala City between 1964 and 1966. Through his association with the School of Architecture at the National University, Goyri, Guillermo Grajeda-Mena, Dagoberto Vasquez and Efrain Recinos created the Civic Center, a building that combined their talents in the fields of architecture, art and sculpture. Goyri was the illustrator in the

Cubism Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture. In Cubist artwork, objects are analyzed, broken up and reassemble ...

genre of the 2002 children's book, ''El monstruo de la calle de colores'', by the Guatemalan writer Mario Payeras. He exhibited in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

and

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. His work, the semiabstract sculpture entitled ''The Wolf'' (1951) was acquired by New York's MOMA. Other works are at the Museo Nacional de Arte Moderno "Carlos Mérida" of Guatemala, and Port Royal Library in Paris. Other works, sculptures and murals, that are in Guatemala are located at the Liberation Boulevard Tecun Uman, the National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, and Venetian Boulevard Los Heroes. He died in Guatemala City on November 13, 2007.

Awards

In 1951, he won a prize and international recognition in a contest sponsored by the London

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. In 1958, he 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 ...

, and in 1966, he won first prize at the American Exhibition of Arts and Sciences and Fine Arts.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzales Goyri, Roberto 1924 births 2007 deaths People from Guatemala City Architectural sculptors Guatemalan muralists Guatemalan painters Art Students League of New York alumni Order of the Quetzal 20th-century Guatemalan sculptors 20th-century Guatemalan painters 20th-century Guatemalan male artists Guatemalan expatriates in the United States