Omar Rayo (Colombian, 2010)

Omar Rayo (Colombian, January 20, 1928–June 7, 2010) was an artist involved in various types of artwork, such as painting, sculpture, plastic, and caricature. He was best known for using Abstract Geometry as his style. Rayo was one of the foremost pioneers of Op Art. He studied drawing at Academie Zier of Buenos Aires. He was the winner of the 1970 Salon de Artistas Colombianos. His particular focus was Op Art, also known as Optical Art, a style which employs optical illusions that interact with viewers. Op Art is considered Abstract, with many pieces made only of black-and-white. Rayo was also known to use red and other colors.

Many of the artist’s paintings, engravings, and other artworks are placed in the Museum of Rayo de Dibujo y Grabado Latinamericano, which was founded on January 20, 1981, in Colombia. The museum featured more than 2,000 of Rayo's works as well as 500 works by other Latin artists. For most of his career, Rayo supported and tried to publicize Latin artists, with his campaigns culminating in the museum. Along with artwork, the museum features a library, theater, and graphic arts workshop. Rayo funded most of the museum himself, with the help of the Colombian government. Some of his more famous works include Sin Titula, Xumux, and Gohei V. His work is a mix of color and illusion. His images force people to look beyond the image and into deeper meaning.

Besides the Museum de Rayo de Dibujo y Grabado Latinamericano, the artist’s work has been featured in the National Room of the Museum of the Palace of Fine Arts of Mexico, and many other galleries and museums throughout the world. Rayo spent his life educating people about art. He collapsed while eating breakfast at his home on June 7, 2010, and died on the way to the hospital after suffering from a heart attack. Without Rayo at its helm, the museum couldn't have endured the difficult times it was in, although a foundation was developed to help support the museum and promote Latin American Art.

Timeline

1928
Born in Roldanillo Valle del Cauca, Colombia
1947
Worked as a newspaper and magazine illustrator, Santafe de Bogotá, Colombia
1959
Recipient, scholarship to work in Mexico City, Mexico
1970
Graduated from the Academia Zier de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Recipient, Second Prize in Drawing, XI Salon of Colombian Artists, Colombia
1972
Recipient, São Paulo Biennial International Prize, São Paulo, Brazil
1977
Recipient, Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship in Fine Arts
1981
Founded the Museum of Rayo in Roldanillo, Colombia
1983
Inaugurated the project Arte Vial with international artists
1959–1986
Lived and worked in Mexico and New York, NY
1994
Participated in the Order of Boyacá as Gran Oficial, Colombia
2010
Died in Roldanillo Valle del Cauca, Colombia

Exhibitions

2009
Mateo's Toy, Fundación Mythos Art Gallery, Roldanillo Valle del Cauca, Colombia (solo)
2007
La Presencia: The Presence of Latin American Art in California Collections, Molaa Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach, CA
Grabado Extranjero, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Santiago, Chile
2005
Transeuntes: América Latina, Museu de Arte Contemporânea da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Still Life Perspectives from the Collection, Art Museum of the Americas, Washington, DC
2002
Surface and Subtext: Latin American Geometric Abstraction, Blanton Museum of Art, Austin, TX
Drill Hall Gallery, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia (solo)
2001
Bienal 50 Anos: Núcleo histórico, Museu de Arte Contemporânea da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
1971
São Paulo Biennial, São Paulo, Brazil
1948–1954
Exhibited his work several times in Santafé de Bogotá and other Colombian cities

Public Collections

Museo Nacional, Santa Fe De Bogotá, Colombia
Museo de Arte Moderno, Santa Fe De Bogotá, Colombia
Museo Rufino Tamayo, D.F., México
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Santiago, Chile
Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA
Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD
New York Public Library, New York, NY
Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC
Library of Congress, Washington, DC
Boston Public Library, Boston, MA
Museum of Contemporary Art, Nagaoka, Japan
National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Japan

Literature

2007
Ospina, William. Omar Rayo Homenaje. Bogotá: Villegas Editores, 2007