Rafael Yela Günther

Who was Rafael Yela Günther?

Rafael Yela Günther was a Guatemalan painter and sculptor.

Yela studied sculpture under his father Baldomero Yela Montenegro, a sculptor and marble-carver, and afterwards under the Venezuelan Santiago González. The Italian Antonio Doninelli taught him bronze casting techniques. In his early life he made the acquaintances of notable artists like Carlos Mérida, Carlos Mauricio Valenti Perrillat and Jaime Sabartés.

Around 1921 he moved to Mexico, where he made the acquaintance of Diego Rivera, and got into first contact with Maya and Aztec art via Manuel Gamio. From 1926 to 1930 he lived in the United States, before he created imposing works in his home country. He was director of the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas "Rafael Rodríguez Padilla" for several years until his death.