Pablo Atchugarry 

(Uruguayan, b.1954)

Pablo Atchugarry is a sculptor with roots in drawing and painting. His father, Pedro, was a student of the founder of Constructive Universalism, Joaquín Torres García (Uruguayan, 1874–1949), which influenced Atchugarry as a young artist. He primarily worked in cement, iron, and wood, and his first exhibition was in the Civic Room in Montevideo in 1972, followed by his first international exhibition, in Buenos Aires in 1974. In the late 1970s, he travelled to France, Spain, and Italy, where he embraced sculpture further. In 1979, he visited Carrara, Italy, famous for their marble, and created his first marble sculpture, La Lumière (c.1979). While in Italy, he had his first solo exhibition in Lecco. In 1982, he moved to Lecco and received a commission to carve a Pietá, now owned by Lecco’s Basilica of San Nicoló. His achievements as an artist were truly recognized when the Pablo Atchugarry Museum was opened in 1999. Since then, his work and career has grown monumentally: Atchugarry sculptures are in private collections and museums around the world. Today, marble continues to be his main medium, and he does not employ studio assistants for his sculptures; all of his works are executed by his own hand, reflecting the influence of Torres García’s Constructivism, paired with Figurative Expressionism. Atchugarry’s recent achievement is creating the Pablo Atchugarry Workshop and Foundation in Uruguay, whose mission is to introduce a Fine Art education to children and young adults through public programs. He currently works in Lecco, Italy, and Manantiales, Uruguay.