A renowned graphic designer in Venezuela, Leufert was also a printmaker, draftsman, photographer, painter, art teacher, and museum curator. His strong interest in printmaking and draftsmanship led to the founding of the Department of Modern Prints and Drawings at the Caracas Museum of Fine Arts and the establishment of the Art Graphic Workshop, also in Caracas, two initiatives that played an important role in the constitution of modern graphic art in Venezuela.
Considered one of Leufert's most important print series, this work incorporates both the geometric and organic elements of his artistic vocabulary. In the title, nenias means "elegies," and Leufert pays homage here to an indigenous Venezuelan and Brazilian tribe, the Yanomami, whose artwork served as a source for his formal language.
New Perspectives in Latin American Art, 1930–2006: Selections from a Decade of Acquisitions, November 21, 2007–February 25, 2008.
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Gerd Leufert
Venezuelan, born Lithuania. 1914–1998 24 works onlineBridging the worlds of commerce and culture in Caracas, Leufert’s impact on art and design owed to his interdisciplinary approach: the influence of cutting-edge developments in abstract art appeared in his graphic design, while the efficiency and bold contrast of mid-century design characterized his paintings.
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