Gabriel Bracho

Who is Gabriel Bracho?

Gabriel Bracho was a Venezuelan artist born in Los Puertos de Altagracia, Zulia on 25 May 1915. He and César Rengifo were major exponents of the social realism artistic movement in Venezuela. His work is permeated by social, political and historical themes.

From 1936 to 1939 he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Caracas and he continued his studies at the Escuela de Artes Aplicadas in Chile until 1942. In 1943 he began a tour of various countries including the USA, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay and Italy which culminated in him living and working in Paris.

Initially influenced by the impressionists, expressionists and cubists he embraced the nationalistic and revolutionary trends of the Mexican muralists. He returned to Venezuela in 1950 and exhibited in the Caracas Museum of Fine Arts. In 1951 he exhibited at the museum of fine arts in Caracas and in 1953 he completed work on his first major mural "Venezuela". He traveled to Mexico where met and compared notes with his friends Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros amongst others and in 1957 he exhibited his work at the palace of fine art in Mexico City.

In 1958, he returned to Venezuela and with others founded the Taller de Arte Realista group. In 1960 he completed the mural "Cuba" located in La Casa de las Américas in Habana.