In this brief article, the journalist Amparo Hurtado discusses Alicia Tafur’s solo exhibition of twelve new sculptures at the Luis Ángel Arango Library in Bogotá. Hurtado describes how the sculptures are made with materials such as bronze, rods, and wood. She explains that these pieces, which are a logical extension of Tafur’s earlier works, are inspired by the vegetable and marine forms that Tafur has studied so meticulously. Hurtado also refers to the sculptor’s career and profile, and airs her opinions concerning the “artist’s problems” and her way of “creating defenses.” She also quotes Tafur, who claims that the government provides scant support for artists in general and calls for the creation of a Ministry of Culture and a stimulus program, arguing that artists need to be able to work beyond the confines of their art, thus allowing them to continue to be creatively productive. At that point, Hurtado refers to the project “Gruta del Arte” [Art Grotto]—a studio for applied art and ceramics that was opened by Alicia Tafur and her husband Armando Villegas in Bogotá in 1928—and Tafur’s work as an applied art teacher at a college. The journalist ends her article by quoting Alicia Tafur’s “advice” for artists who are just beginning their careers, reminding them of the need for constant research.       

When Alicia Tafur (b. 1934) returned to Colombia after spending a year and a half in Paris, she presented a solo exhibition of twelve wood and metal sculptures at the Luis Ángel Arango Library in Bogotá. By that time, she was an established artist with a successful career, notable highlights of which include her participation in the Pan-American Union in Washington, DC in 1958, an honorable mention at the XIII Salón de Artistas Colombianos [13th Colombian Artists Salon] (1961), and the second prize for sculpture at the XIV Salón de Artistas Colombianos (1962).     

Amparo Hurtado’s article does not examine in any great depth the technical, aesthetic, and conceptual aspects of Alicia Tafur’s work. From the journalist’s brief references to the artist’s study of forms found in nature, we can deduce that the latter was part of the growing movement of painters and sculptors who were active in the 1950s. Those artists created experimental works that allowed them to interpret their surroundings and their personal cosmogonies through a distillation of the expressive forms and qualities of the materials they used. Tafur’s work, for example, included frequent references to local flora, birds, and marine life, and explored themes inspired by the cosmos and space. 

A highlight of this article is the artist’s request for government support for artists through the creation of a Ministry of Culture linked to an effective stimulus program. This request provides insight into the opportunities for work available to Colombian artists in the 1960s. This article complements the review of the same exhibition: “No se debe esperar a que llegue la inspiración” [One Should Not Wait for Inspiration to Arrive] [see doc. # 1133397].