Oscar Murillo (artist)
Oscar Murillo (born 1986, La Paila, Colombia) is a fine artist working within the painting tradition. He currently lives and works in London.[1]
One work from 2012 is a seven-metre-long painting which he made in the private museum of Don and Mera Rubell.[2] Murillo carries out performance works in order to contextualize his paintings.[2] Critic Legacy Russell said that the artist explores 'the body in transit' in his work.[3]
Early life and education
Murillo was born, and spent the first ten years of his life, in La Paila, a small town in the Valle del Cauca Department of Colombia. His parents moved to London when he was 10 years old and knew no English.[4]
In 2007, Murillo earned his BA.(Hons) in Fine Art at University of Westminster. After graduating, he worked as a teacher in a secondary school. He soon quit his job and traveled to South America with his wife, Angelica Fernandes, whose family is from Venezuela.[4] In 2012, Murillo graduated from the Royal College of Art in London, with an MA in Fine Art.[3] Living in East London, he often worked as an installer for the neighborhood’s small galleries.[5]
Work
Murillo's work is fundamentally tied to the studio environment itself where he produces them:[6]
Things get moved around, I step on them, and they get contaminated. It’s not about leaving traces; it’s about letting things mature on their own-like aging cheese or letting a stew cook, they get more flavorful. That’s kind of how these paintings are made.— Oscar Murillo, BOMB magazine, Winter 2013
He is collaborating with schools around the world in a project that involves covering students’ desks with canvases and asking children to draw on them, their creations eventually becoming part of a larger work.[5]
Art market
In February 2013, London auctions at Sotheby's, Christie's and Phillips all included Murillo’s work.[5] Artnet estimates that 24 Murillo pieces generated a total of $4.8 million at auction that year.[7] Untitled, 2012 sold for £218,500 at Phillips, London, 16 October 2013.[8]
Murillo is represented by David Zwirner Gallery in New York and London.
References
- ↑ Oscar Murillo: We Don’t Work Sundays, May 23 - July 18, 2014 Marian Goodman, Paris.
- 1 2 Rivetti, Ermanno. "Interview with Oscar Murillo: at home with the Rubells". The Art Newspaper. Archived from the original on 16 February 2014.
- 1 2 Russell, Legacy. "Oscar Murillo". BOMB Magazine. Archived from the original on 16 February 2014.
- 1 2 Carl Swanson (July 2, 2014), Oscar Murillo Perfectly Encapsulates the Current State of the Contemporary Art World New York Magazine.
- 1 2 3 Carol Vogel (March 14, 2014), Art World Places Its Bet – Oscar Murillo Keeps His Eyes on the Canvas New York Times.
- ↑ "Sale Catalogue Evening Sale 16 October 2013". Phillips.
- ↑ Kazakina, Katya. "Art Flippers Chase Fresh Stars as Murillo's Doodles Soar". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 15 February 2014.
- ↑ "Lot 38 13 October 2013". Phillips. Archived from the original on 15 February 2014.