Cecilia de Torres, Ltd.

José Gurvich



b. 1927, Lithuania – d. 1974 New York City

Populated with figures and images that reflect his Jewish upbringing, his participation with the Taller Torres-García, and his profound admiration for the European art masters Breughel and Bosch, Gurvich's artworks combine a unique personal style with technical mastery. 

The child of Jewish immigrants, the artist was born in Lithuania and moved to Uruguay with his family in 1932.  There, Gurvich excelled at both music and the visual arts, and it was while studying the violin alongside Horacio Torres that the young artist was introduced to Horacio's father, Joaquín Torres-García.    Soon after, Gurvich joined the Taller Torres-García, participating in the workshop's exhibitions, writing for its publications, executing mural projects, and teaching.  Gurvich's role at the Taller later influenced the creation of his own workshop, the Taller Montevideo, where he taught the next generation of Uruguayan artists. 

In 1954 and again in 1964, the artist travelled to Europe and Israel, where he lived as a shepherd on the Ramot Menasche kibbutz.  These experiences profoundly influenced the iconography of his paintings and sculptures.  Moving to the United States in 1970, Gurvich joined his fellow Taller Torres-García artists Julio Alpuy, Horacio Torres, and Gonzalo Fonseca in New York City, where he continued to produce art until his premature death in 1974.


Please click for Chronology and CV


Constructive Imagination
José Gurvich
Constructive Imagination

Americas Society 2005 exhibition catalogue; Essays by Mary Enrique Schneider & Cecilia de Torres; Chronology; 96 pages, 43 color & 27 black and white reproductions.
 
$ 20.00 + postage

Murales, Esculturas y Objetos
José Gurvich
Murales, Esculturas y Objetos

José Gurvich’s witty, beautifully sculpted terracotta figures, display his unique intuitive expressiveness. Showcased in this well-produced catalogue are his constructivist murals and his passion for the physical object.

Essays by Cecilia de Torres & Alicia Haber Chronology with 32 black and white documentary photographs, 150 color reproductions, 264 pages, 11½ x 9 in.

Published by Fundación Gurvich, Montevideo

$ 50.00 + postage


José Gurvich
"...Pero yo voy a pintar"

Published in conjunction with the 1997 retrospective exhibition at the Museo Nacional de Artes Visuales in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Essay by Angel Kalenberg; In Spanish; 255 pages, 100+ color plates, numerous black and white illustrations

Softcover: $ 70.00 + postage Hardcover: $ 100.00 + postage

A Song to Life
José Gurvich
A Song to Life

Catalogue of the 1999-2000 exhibition: Un Canto a la Vida. An extensive compilation of works from the collection of the artist's family.

Preface by Edward J. Sullivan Essay by Alicia Haber; 256 pgs. 100+ color plates, 100+ black and white illustrations; Available in English & Spanish editions

$ 40.00 + postage

JOSÉ GURVICH

JOSÉ GURVICH

The catalogue essay provides a profile of Gurvich that is both personal and well informed. Gurvich was the teacher of Ms. de Torres at the famed Taller Torres-Garcia and a close friend. This portrait of Gurvich's artistic motivations and life are explored with the insight of student, friend, and internationally recognized authority of Torres-Garcia and the artists of the School of the South. It gives the reader an intimate view of this exceptional artist and wonderful man.

Essay by Cecilia de Torres, 20 color plates, 14 black & white illustrationsm, 48 pages.

$ 20.00 + postage