The Artistic Journey of Carlos Alonso
Born in Tunuyán, Argentina, Carlos Alonso is a contemporary painter, draftsman, and printmaker. His early training began at the Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes, where he studied drawing and engraving with Sergio Sergi, sculpture with Lorenzo Dominguez, and painting with Francisco Bernareggi and Ramón Gomez Cornet. He later continued his education at the National University of Cuyo under Lino Enea Spilimbergo. While his early career was characterized as a Social realist, he is most recognized as a New realist, often incorporating beef as a recurring element in his work.
Alonso's career is marked by significant accolades and international exposure. In 1957, he won a competition to illustrate the second part of Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote, and in 1959, he illustrated the poem Martín Fierro by José Hernández. His illustrations for Don Quixote were published on postcards in the Soviet Union in 1963. Throughout his career, he has received the Platinum Konex Award and the Konex Special Mention.
Exhibitions and Legacy
The works of Carlos Alonso have been showcased in numerous international venues, including the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City and the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana in Cuba. His expressive art has been exhibited in European galleries such as Villa Giulia in Rome, the Eidos of Milan, and the Bedford in London. In 1967, the Art Gallery International in Buenos Aires displayed 250 of his works based on Dante’s Divine Comedy.
In 1982 and 1992, he was granted the Platinum Konex Award for his work during those decades. His legacy is also reflected in the Bienal de Pintura Paloma Alonso, a 1990 joint initiative named in honor of his daughter, established alongside Teresa Nachman.
