Article by art critic Carlos Solari (under the pseudonym “Don Quijote”) regarding Manuel Piqueras Cotolí’s work in Lima. [Solari] states that after a decade in Lima during which he made “an immeasurable contribution to the arts of Peru,” the Spanish sculptor would soon travel to Spain to organize the Peruvian pavilion at the Exposición Iberoamericana. He likewise states that through “his disorienting power for incitement and synthesis” [Piqueras] communicates pre-Hispanic and Hispanic elements, “as well as the mestizo Indo-Spanish soul,” all of which receive “even more precise emphasis within a harmonious combination.” The author also states that architectural reconstructions have been made in the Incan and colonial styles in Peru, but Piqueras’ neo-Peruvian style is “not merely a combination of rhythms.” He mentions two works: the façade of the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes, with its architectural elements in both the Spanish and “Incan-colonial” styles, as well as the pavilion containing sculptures and tapestries reflecting [significant] national events; he compares these to the décor created by Piqueras and other ENBA artists at the Palacio de Gobierno for the centennial of the Battle of Ayacucho (1924).  The author recounts the beginning of Piqueras’ career: the first awards he won; his trip to Madrid, and his time in the workshop of celebrated sculptor Miguel Blay, as well as the Codina artistic foundry. He concludes his text with brief statements made by Piqueras regarding the inflated importance of the Renaissance.

Manuel Piqueras Cotolí was a Spanish architect, sculptor, and urban planner (based in Peru starting in 1919). In Madrid, he had been a member of Miguel Blay’s sculpture workshop, and worked both in the Codina artistic foundry and the Algueis construction company; later he studied at the Academia de España (in Rome). He relocated to Peru to take charge of the recently created sculpture department at the Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes (ENBA). Founded in 1919, the ENBA was initially part of a civil initiative (during the José Pardo presidency, 1915-1919), and its goal was to establish the European Noucentisme movement in the country. Its first director, Daniel Hernández, facilitated development of the nationalistic tendencies (during the presidency of Augusto Leguía, 1919-30) that would ultimately be the hallmark of the school, chiefly exemplified by painter José Sabogal; as well as by Piqueras Cotolí himself, who developed the “neo-Peruvian style,” which was characterized by the synthesis of viceregal and pre-Colombian elements [see the ICAA digital archive, “Habla Piquera Cotolí” (doc. no. 1141340)]. Although at the beginning the viceregal characteristics were kept to structural forms and the pre-Hispanic elements were decorative, as time passed, the fusion achieved more complexity, and also bore relation to the contemporary European modern trends.

The ENBA façade (Lima, 1924) was his first noteworthy work, and that same year he also designed the reception hall at the Palacio de Gobierno (Lima) to mark the centennial of the Battle of Ayacucho. In 1929 he unveiled the Peruvian Pavillion, which is considered his greatest work, at the Exposición Iberoamericana de Sevilla, [see Solari’s other essay under his “Don Quijote” pseudonym: “Notas de arte: para la exposición de Sevilla” (doc. no. 1140871)], which symbolic core was the main stairway. Upon his return, and after the fall of the Leguía regime (1930), he was removed as director of the ENBA and was instead named an advisor to the Escuela de Artes y Oficios (Lima). Outstanding works from his final period include: the marble sculpture of Hipólito Unanue (Parque Universitario, Lima, 1931); an incomplete work meant to pay homage to writer Ricardo Palma; and a draft of his plans for the Basílica de Santa Rosa. The inspiration for this project, which was simultaneously modern and pre-Colombian, produced a fierce debate regarding the relevance of indigenous [influences] and the neo-Peruvian style, a style that did not have direct followers, but was related to the art produced by [artists working on] a national art initiative on the margins of José Sabogal’s group: including Elena Izcue (1889-1970), Jorge Vinatea Reinoso (1900-1931) and Alejandro González Trujillo “Apu-Rimak” (1900-85). Piqueras influenced Peruvian architects Héctor Velarde and Emilio Harth-Terré, articulating works using the theories of Argentineans Martín Noel (1888-1963) and Ángel Guido (1896-1960), both architects who explored the mestizo-viceregal style.

[As complementary reading on this artist, see these texts in the ICAA digital archive: “Manuel Piqueras Cotolí,” by G. Salinas Cossío (doc. no. 1136631); and “Manuel Piqueras Cotolí,” by Manuel Solari Swayne” (doc. no. 1141324)].