Luis Martínez Richier (1928-2005) - Lot 206

Luis Martínez Richier (1928-2005) Untitled Wood sculpture (direct carving), blue patina, signed lower side 98 x 37 x 33 cm (Dirt and small traces of humidity on lower part) Born in San Pedro de Marcoris, Dominican Republic, Luis Martínez Richier graduated from the Ciudad Trujilo School of Fine Arts in 1945. After an internship at the Buenos Aires School of Fine Arts in Argentina in 1950, he moved to Paris in 1952. He took part in the first Paris Biennale in 1955. Martínez favors direct carving on wood of forms inspired by the art of the ancient Tainos, a Caribbean people who carve bone and jade in particular, and who produce a large number of ceramics. He exhibited regularly at Salons and group shows in Paris, notably at the Salon de la Jeune Sculpture between 1960 and 1978. He was awarded First Prize at the Santo Domingo Biennial in 1974 and again in 1996. In tribute to the sculptor and teacher at the Santo Domingo School of Fine Arts, the French Embassy in the Dominican Republic created the Prix Martínez-Richier in 2012.