The earthly world and art lovers said goodbye on Saturday the 21st to one of their prodigal sons: the Argentine painter and plastic artist, Mexican by adoption, Hugo Laurencena, who died at the age of 74 in his residence in Mexico City, where He had been living since 2000.
Born in Buenos Aires on March 16, 1950, Laurencena moved to New York in the late 1970s, driven by his passion for art. It was in this city where he began to consolidate his unique style and gain recognition in important galleries and international art circles.
To say that Hugo Laurencena was a plastic artist does not do him justice because for those who knew him (even for the undersigned), his hyperrealistic technique had that masterful quality that only the greats possess. Beyond its bohemia, its rigor and perfection in detail in pursuit of exalting the beauty of things.
It is worth mentioning that for more than a decade, his work was presented in individual and group exhibitions in various parts of the world, standing out in renowned museums such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Museum of Fine Arts in Buenos Aires and the Museum of Modern Art of Sao Paulo.
During his journey, which took him to live in Miami and Buenos Aires, Laurencena moved to Mexico City, where he continued painting fruitfully, which made it possible for him to include works in the most important private collections and museums in Mexico, the United States, and Japan. , Brazil, Switzerland and France.
In his years of career, he received a number of awards and distinctions, including the Special Mention at the Buenos Aires National Hall in 1998 and the BASF Argentina First Prize in 1993. His work clearly ‘deceived’ the human eye, and his vision of detail , which made him stand out.
One of the most significant moments of Hugo Laurencena’s career was his solo exhibition in 2012 at the National Museum of Art of Mexico (Munal), which consolidated his presence in the Mexican art scene.
In June 2023, Forbes en Español visited his atelier to see the work that kept him busy until his last days where he was preparing exhibitions in Monterrey and North Carolina.
But beyond his affable personality, and his talent for magnifying beauty, at the publishing house we will always carry him in our hearts for having illustrated the cover of our 2016 Millonarios edition, with a ‘portrait’ of Carlos Slim through his style, the one that will make us remember him for the profound beauty of his work.
After his recent departure, the artist’s daughter will be in charge of continuing to promote his legacy through social networks (follow him on Instagram here), his website and events.
You may be interested in Forbes in Spanish: At the limits of hyperrealism: Laurencena reinvents the object in her painting
