Luchita Hurtado

Luchita Hurtado (October 28, 1920 – August 13, 2020) was a Venezuelan-born painter from Santa Monica, California, and Arroyo Seco, New Mexico.

Luchita Hurtado
Born
Luisa Amelia Garcia Rodriguez Hurtado[1]

(1920-10-28)October 28, 1920[2][3]
Maiquetía, Venezuela
DiedAugust 13, 2020(2020-08-13) (aged 99)[4]
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
OccupationArtist
Years active1940s–2020[5]

Early life

Hurtado was born in Maiquetía, Venezuela, on October 28, 1920. She emigrated with her mother and sister to New York City when she eight years old, while her father stayed in Venezuela. She studied painting at Washington Irving High School, where she met her first husband, a Spanish journalist named Daniel de Solar. The couple married when Luchita was 18.[4] It was through him that she was introduced to many Latin writers and painters, such as Rufino Tamayo.[1][4] She divorced de Solar in 1942. She subsequently married Wolfgang Paalen, an artist and collector, after being introduced to him by Isamu Noguchi. However, their marriage fell apart shortly after her son from her first marriage, Pablo, died of polio. She wanted to have another child, while Paalen did not.[4]

In 1945, she made the painting that is recognized as the first in her career, and began freelance work as an illustrator for Condé Nast and as a muralist for Lord & Taylor in New York.[5][4][6] During this time, her circle of fellow artists expanded. One such connection she made was with Ailes Gilmour, who had roomed with Hurtado and de Solar when they were still married. Gilmour was the half-sister of Isamu Noguchi, so Noguchi and Hurtado became close, often visiting galleries together. Her third husband was artist Lee Mullican.[4][7] Their son Matt Mullican is a New York-based artist.[4]

Art career

Prior to 1998 Hurtado's work was largely unknown outside of Los Angeles.[4] In 1998, a curator going through her husband Lee's estate uncovered many paintings signed "LH" that were not recognized as his work.[8] From there, the paintings made their way to the hands of Paul Soto, founder of Park View, a two-year-old apartment gallery a few blocks from MacArthur Park in Los Angeles, and her first solo gallery exhibition since 1974 was held there.[1]

Christopher Knight said of her work: "Her drawings’ loosely Surrealist forms recall dense pictographs from a variety of cultures, ancient and modern. Among them are prehistoric cave paintings, Northwest and Southwest tribal art, pre-Columbian reliefs, and the abstract paintings and sculptures."[9]

Hurtado's work was included in the Hammer Museum's Made in L.A. exhibition in 2018.[5] Several visitors asked the curators if her birth date was incorrect because the work seemed contemporary.[10] She remained active in the arts until her death, with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art exhibiting a key career survey of hers in February 2020.[1]

Exhibitions
  • Serpentine Sackler Gallery, London, United Kingdom, I live I die I will be reborn, 23 May - 20 October 2019[11]
  • Hammer Museum, Made in L.A. 2018, Jun 3-Sep 2, 2018[5]
  • Annenberg Community Beach House, Santa Monica (2017)[12]
  • Park View Gallery, Los Angeles (2016)[13]
  • Night Club Gallery, Chicago (2016)
  • Carnegie Art Museum, Oxnard, California (1994)
  • Grandview Gallery, The Woman's Building, Los Angeles (1974)
  • Tally Richards Gallery, Taos, New Mexico (1970)
  • Paul Kantor Gallery, Los Angeles (1953)

Collections

Hurtado's work is in the collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art[14] and the Museum of Modern Art.[15]

Death

Hurtado died on the night of August 13, 2020, at her home in Santa Monica, California.[4] She was 99, and died of natural causes.[1]

References
  1. Miranda, Carolina A. (August 14, 2020). "Painter Luchita Hurtado, who became an art star in her late 90s, has died at 99". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  2. "Oral history interview with Luchita Hurtado, 1994 May 1-1995 April 13,". Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
  3. United States Public Records Index, FamilySearch
  4. Rosenberg, Karen (14 August 2020). "Luchita Hurtado, Artist Who Became a Sensation in Her 90s, Dies at 99". The New York Times.
  5. "Luchita Hurtado". Made in L.A. Hammer Museum. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  6. Wagley, Catherine G. (2017-01-20). "A Life's Work: As Her Reputation Surges, Luchita Hurtado Discusses Her Long Career". ARTnews. Retrieved 2018-07-17.
  7. Finkel, Jori. "'At 99, I'm another person entirely': Luchita Hurtado on fossil fuels and new challenges ahead". The Art Newspaper. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  8. "At 98 Years Old, Painter Luchita Hurtado Is Just Hitting Her Stride". Vogue.co.uk. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  9. Knight, Christopher. "Luchita Hurtado abstract artworks mix cultures like colors, to rousing effect". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  10. Miranda, Carolina A. "Why Luchita Hurtado at 97 is the hot discovery of the Hammer's 'Made in LA' biennial" (Jul 05, 2018). L.A. Times. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  11. Moreland, Jamie and McKenzie, Michael (24 May 2019). "London artist hosts first gallery exhibition aged 98". BBC.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. Casuso, Jorge. "Artist Luchita Hurtado's Enchanted Works on Display in Santa Monica". Santa Monica Lookout. surfsantamonica.com. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  13. "Luchita Hurtado". Park View Gallery. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  14. "Luchita Hurtado". LACMA Collections. LACMA. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  15. "Luchita Hurtado". MOMA collections. MOMA. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
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