Luis Enrique Tábara
About
Luis Enrique Tábara was an influential Ecuadorian painter and teacher born in Guayaquil, renowned for his experimental approach blending constructivism, surrealism, abstraction, and pre-Columbian motifs. He began painting at a young age, encouraged by his mother and sister, and studied at the School of Fine Arts in Guayaquil from 1946 to 1951 under teachers like Luis Martínez Serrano and Hans Michaelson. His early work featured social realism depicting urban poverty, transitioning to abstract and constructivist styles influenced by Joaquín Torres García and Manuel Rendón by 1954. In 1955, a fellowship took him to Barcelona, where he engaged with Spanish informalism and pre-Conquest themes, holding numerous exhibitions across Europe.
Experimental fusion of constructivism, surrealism, abstraction, informalism, and pre-Columbian motifs
Selected Exhibitions
- Hispanic-American Biennial, Barcelona (1955)
- Tribute to Surrealism, Paris (1961)
- Third Biennial of Paris (1963)
- Museo Rufino Tamayo, Mexico City
- Museum of Modern Art, Paris
- Modern Art Museum, Bogotá
Awards
- Swiss Abstract Painting Prize (1960)
- Gold Medal, First Salon of Drawing, Watercolor, and Tempera, Quito (1970)
- Gold Brush of Ecuador (1999)