María Freire

Place: Montevideo

Born: 1917

Death: 2015

Biography:

María Freire was a renowned Uruguayan painter, sculptor, and art critic born in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1917. She was one of the leading figures in the development of concrete art and non-figurative art in Uruguay, and a co-founder of the Grupo de Arte No Figurativo.

Early Life and Career

Freire studied painting and sculpture at the Círculo de Bellas Artes, Universidad del Trabajo del Uruguay in Montevideo under José Cuneo Perinetti, Guillermo Laborde, and Severino Pose. She began to explore modern artistic languages by studying African masks and precolumbian art. In 1946, she started exploring abstraction, using flat forms and making mobile sculptures in unconventional materials.

Artistic Style and Influences

Freire's work was influenced by European painters such as Piet Mondrian, Theo van Doesburg, and Friedrich Vordemberge-Gildewart. Her artistic style developed its own characteristic, tending to work in series, taking colors, rhythms, and forms as their own subjects. For more information on her artistic style, visit the María Freire page on Wikioo.org.

Notable Works and Exhibitions

Some of Freire's notable works include the series "Sudamérica" (South America), "Capricorn", and "Córdoba". Her work is included in the collections of the Museo Nacional de Artes Visuales, Juan Manuel Blanes Museum, Museu de Arte Moderna, São Paulo, and Museum of Modern Art New York. For more information on her notable works and exhibitions, visit the La Sociedad de Arte del Reino Unido: La Fine Art Society page on Wikioo.org.

• Freire's work is characterized by its geometric abstraction and strong emphasis on geometrical forms.
• She was a co-founder of the Grupo de Arte No Figurativo, a group that promoted non-figurative art in Uruguay.
• Her artistic style was influenced by the concrete art movement, which emphasized geometrical abstraction.

Freire's career was among the longest of any Uruguayan artist, and she is a central reference for geometric art in the Río de la Plata region. Her work continues to be celebrated and exhibited around the world, and her legacy as a pioneer of concrete art in Uruguay remains unparalleled. For more information on her life and work, visit the María Freire page on Wikipedia.