Ana Mercedes Hoyos was a Colombian painter and sculptor who was born in Bogotá in 1942. She was one of the most influential and celebrated artists in the country, known for her vibrant and colorful works that reflected the diversity and richness of Colombian culture, traditions and folklore.
Early Life and Education
Hoyos grew up in a supportive and artistic family. Her father was an engineer and architect who encouraged her to study art history and visit museums. Her mother was a music lover who exposed her to different genres and styles. Hoyos attended the Marymount School in Bogotá, where she received a bilingual education and developed an interest in languages.
Hoyos studied fine arts at the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, where she learned from prominent teachers such as Marta Traba, Eduardo Ramírez Villamizar and Alejandro Obregón. She also traveled to the United States, where she took courses at the Art Students League of New York and the Pratt Institute. She was influenced by the abstract expressionism and pop art movements, as well as by the works of Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Andy Warhol.
Artistic Career and Recognition
Hoyos began her artistic career in the 1960s, when she participated in several group exhibitions and won her first awards. She also had her first solo show in 1966 at the Galería Belarca in Bogotá. Her early works were abstract paintings that explored geometric forms, textures and colors.
In the 1970s, Hoyos shifted to a more figurative style, inspired by her visits to the Caribbean coast of Colombia. She became fascinated by the Afro-Colombian culture and the life of the Palenque people, descendants of escaped slaves who formed their own communities. She painted portraits of black women wearing colorful turbans and fruit baskets, as well as scenes of their daily activities and rituals. These paintings became her signature series, known as “Ventanas” (Windows) or “Palenqueras”.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Hoyos continued to explore Colombian culture and identity through different mediums and themes. She created sculptures of fruits, flowers and animals using ceramic, bronze and wood. She also painted landscapes, still lifes and urban scenes, using bright colors and expressive strokes. She experimented with collage, photography and video, incorporating elements of popular culture and mass media.
Hoyos received numerous awards and honors for her artistic achievements, both nationally and internationally. She was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship in 1978, the Order of Boyacá in 1988, the Order of San Carlos in 1996, and the Order of Arts and Letters of France in 2002. She also represented Colombia in several major exhibitions of modern Latin American art, such as the Bienal de São Paulo in 1971, the Venice Biennale in 1978, and the best Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1993
Legacy and Death
Hoyos died in Bogotá in 2014, at the age of 71, after a long battle with cancer. She left behind a remarkable body of work that celebrates Colombian culture and diversity, as well as a legacy of inspiration for generations of artists. Her works are part of important public and private collections around the world, such as the Museo Nacional de Colombia, the Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá, the Museo de Arte Moderno de Medellín, the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Caracas, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
