José Gurvich
b. 1927, Lithuania – d. 1974 New York City
Populated with figures and images that reflect his Jewish upbringing, Gurvich’s participation with the Taller Torres-García and his profound admiration for the European art masters Breughel and Bosch, his artworks combine a unique personal style with technical mastery.
Gurvich was born in Lithuania and moved to Uruguay with his family in 1932. There, he 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 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.
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 artists, Julio Alpuy, Horacio Torres, and Gonzalo Fonseca in New York City, where he continued to produce art until his premature death in 1974. The Gurvich Foundation was created in Montevideo in 2001, and is now known as the Museo Gurvich.
Please click for Chronology and CV
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
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
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
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
Cecilia de Torres, El Norte es el Sur, Revista Paula, Diario El Pais. Uruguay, 2021.
"Extraordinary images from ordinary settings in ‘Places We Find’," The Washington Post
Taller Torres-García permanent exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
We are pleased to share the following article written by Cecilia de Torres:
El Norte es el Sur, Revista Paula, Diario El País, Uruguay, 2021.
You can read or download the article here.
Re-opening of the Museo Gurvich in Montevideo, Uruguay
We are very pleased to announce the re-opening of the Museo Gurvich:
Opening reception: Tuesday, November 24th, 2015, 6:30 to 11 pm.
Colloquia: November 25th through 27th, 2015, 10am to 7pm.
For more information about the itinerary of events please contact the gallery at mail@ceciliadetorres.com.
José Gurvich. Crossing Borders Exhibition and Seminar
We are pleased to announce José Gurvich's latest exhibition and Seminar:
José Gurvich. Cruzando Fronteras, Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires, August 22 - October 6
Coloquio: A Propósito de Gurvich, Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires, August 23 at 5 pm.
For more information about the exhibition, please visit www.museos.buenosaires.gob.ar
Exhibition review by Celina Chatruc for La Nación (August 23, 2013)
Exhibition review by Mercedes Perez Bergliaffa for Revista Clarin (August 23, 2013)
The South was Their North: Artists of the Torres-García Workshop
2015-2016 Autumn-Winter
Art Basel Miami Beach 2014
December 4-7, 2014
Gurvich Abstract Works (1946-1973)
2013 Winter
Line - Plane - Volume / Sculpture: 1944-2006
2006 Winter
Works ON & OF Paper - Modern and Contemporary
2005 Autumn
José Gurvich - Americas Society exhibition
2005 Autumn
Modernism: Montevideo & Buenos Aires 1930-1960
2001 - 2002 Winter
José Gurvich - Paintings and Drawings
2000 Summer