Alonso, Carlos – Argentina

Carlos Alonso: The Beginnings of a Master of Argentine Art

Argentine artist Carlos Alonso was born in Tunuyán, Mendoza, in 1929. He studied at the National Academy of Fine Arts at the National University of Cuyo, where he was a student of prominent masters such as Sergio Sergi in drawing and printmaking, Lorenzo Domínguez in sculpture, and Francisco Bernareggi and Ramón Gómez Cornet in painting.

In 1953, already settled in Buenos Aires, he began exhibiting with Galería Viau, which granted him a scholarship to travel to Europe, where he visited Paris, Madrid, and London.
After the 1976 coup d’état in Argentina, Alonso went into exile in Italy, and three years later moved to Madrid. In 1981 he returned to Buenos Aires, and the following year he settled permanently in Unquillo, Córdoba, where he currently resides.

A Visual Language Between Allegory and Reality

Situated between allegory and stark realism, Carlos Alonso’s work is characterized by its profound symbolic weight and its reflection of the violence of recent history. His production stands out for its mastery of line and drawing, which shape a symbolic figuration with a schematic and expressive tendency.

The artist often works in series in which themes and characters recur over time. This deliberate repetition allows him to explore different nuances of the same idea, creating an ongoing dialogue among his works. Thus, motifs and figures reappear even decades later, giving unity and continuity to his career.

Art, Memory, and Commitment

References to historical and cultural figures are constant in his work: from great masters of painting such as Van Gogh or Lino Enea Spilimbergo, to contemporary intellectuals like his friend Jorge Luis Borges, as well as universal symbols like “Che” Guevara.

Carlos Alonso’s social and political commitment is expressed throughout his artistic production, which includes painting, printmaking, drawing, collage, sculpture, and installations. Through these media, his work challenges viewers and keeps alive a critical reflection on history, memory, and the human condition. Explore part of his work at Museo Ralli.