Biography
Byron Gálvez
Byron Gálvez was born in 1941 in Mixquiahuala, State of Hidalgo, and since very young displayed his artistic yearnings. His father, who was a merchant and farmer, was a enthusiast of literature and, also, played the violin in a local jazz band. It is in this manner that the painter naturally grew in an environment tied to culture.
At 16 he decided to move to Mexico City, with a central objective: to study art at the Academy of San Carlos. It was there, between 1958 and 1962 where he studied and had as teachers, among others, the Spanish painter Antonio Rodriguez Luna, etching master Francisco Moreno Capdevila, Luis Nishizawa, Santos Balmori and Antonio Ramirez. He was shaped, as can be seen, with a generation of first rate teachers, and this motivated him to follow his vocation as a plastic artist steadily and tenaciously.
Between 1962 and 1964 he pursued post-graduate studies, specializing in painting. At the same time he was a founding member of the workshop of metal sculpture of the National School of Visual Arts of the Autonomous National University of Mexico.
In 1964 he assembled his first individual exhibit and since then has had over 60 in different venues in Mexico and various cities in the United States, Europe and Latin-America. His work has also been part of innumerable collective exhibits. A singular moment occurred when, being very young, the famous American actor Vincent Price bought every work of his first individual exhibit. In order for the show to go on, the artist showed his amazing creative capacity and in a week created 45 new pieces. Astounded at Byron Gálvez’s work, Price called him a “Mexican Picasso”. Since then he has been presented with over 15 awards and honorary tributes recognizing his vast and diverse work.
Throughout his intense career as a plastic artist he participated in special programs filmed for the Office of Radio, Television and Cinematography. Traveling many times to the European continent and visiting the most important museums of the old world has been instrumental in the development of Byron Gálvez’s plastic schooling, he considers this activity an unavoidable formative experience it the growth of an artist.
Since 1995 he is a member of the National Art and Culture Council of the State of Hidalgo, having been appointed by the governor of the state.
His plastic work, which includes sculpture, etching, lithography, sketching and painting, is part of important private collections in Mexico and abroad.
Among those who have written about his work we include Jorge Juan Crespo de la Serna, Alejandro Aura, Berta Taracena, Santos Balmori, Pablo Fernandez Marquez, Enrique F. Gual and Margarita Nelken.
Public Art
| 1968 | Sculptured Mural in Los Angeles, California, USA. |
| 1970 | Mural in the National Conservatory of Music, Mexico City, Mexico. |
| 1971 | 30 feet high sculpture, Unidad Morelos, Mexico City, Mexico. |
| 1984 | Hand hammered copper triptych, private residence, Mexico City, Mexico. Hand Hammered sculpture, private residence, Acapulco, Mexico |
| 1985 | Sculptural Door. Private residence, México City, México. |
| 1986 | Award winning sculpture, currently at private residence in New York, USA. |
| 1998 | Reclined Torso. Lobby Hotel Nikko Mexico. |
| 1999 | Torso II. 19 feet high sculpture at the entrance of the Altiva Building, Mexico City, Mexico. |
| 2000 | Millennium. Inaugurated on 12/31/1999, this 30 feet high bronze sculpture/fountain stands by the highway as a doorway to the capital city of Pachuca, Hidalgo. |
| Ongoing | Sculptural Garden, Mixquiahuala, Hidalgo. |
| 2001-2005 | Master plan and central mosaic. David Ben Gurion Cultural Park in Pachuca Hidalgo. |
Individual Exhibits
Starting his individual exhibits in 1964, to date Byron has had over 55 individual exhibits, some of the more notable ones:| 1967 | Gallery of the National School of Art at the National University, Mexico City, Mexico. |
| 1972 | Paintings and Drawings at the Sterenberg Galleries. Chicago, Illinois, USA. |
| 1973 | “Eye Corporation”.Chicago, Mineapolis, New York, Los Angeles and San Franciso. USA. |
| 1978 | Paintings. Polyforum Cultural Siqueiros, Mexico City, Mexico. |
| 1982 | Paintings. “Aspects of a Theme: Woman”. Museo Nacional de Arte Moderno, Mexico City, Mexico. |
| 1983 | Paintings. Hooks, Epstein Galleries, Houston, Texas, USA. Paintings. Harcourts Contemporary Gallery, San Francisco, California, USA. |
| 1984 | Art-Forum Gallery, Mexico City, Mexico. |
| 1989 | Bishop Gallery, Phoenix Arizona, USA. |
| 1990 | Hartcourts Gallery. Sausalito, California, USA. |
| 1991 | Merryl Chase Gallery, Washington, DC. USA. |
| 1992 | Suhan Galleries. San Diego, California, USA. Merryl Chase Galleries. Atlanta, Georgia, USA. |
| 1994 | “Pictoric Tauromaquia” Alberto Misrachi Gallery at the Nikko Hotel, Mexico City, Mexico. |
| 1995 | Pictoric and graphic work, San Francisco Theater, Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico |
| 1996 | “Profiling 30 years of pictorial work”, Museum of the National Palace of Fine Arts, Diego Rivera Hall, Paul Westheim Hall and Justino Fernández Hall, Mexico City, Mexico. |
Group Exhibits
Aside from the individual exhibits, Byron has also participated in over 75 group exhibits around the world. Some of these are:| 1967 | “Solar 68”, National Fine Arts Institute, Mexico City, Mexico. |
| 1970 | “Six-Artists”, Museum of Modern Art, Mexico City, Mexico. |
| 1972 | “Mexican Painting”, at the House of the Americas, La Habana, Cuba. “Mexican Drawing”, Viva Mexico Gallery, Caracas, Venezuela. |
| 1976 | “City and Man”. Salon de la Plastica Mexicana, Mexico City, Mexico. Salon de la Plastica Mexicana, Canada. |
| 1978 | Keweer Gallery, Rotterdam, Holland. |
| 1981 | “Art-Expo”, New York City, New York, USA. |
| 1984 | Three Mexican Painters”, Carmen Llewellyn Gallery, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. |
| 1987 | “Janukiot”. Art-Forum Gallery, Mexico City, Mexico. |
| 1989 - 1994 | Art-Expo, New York City, New York, and Los Angeles California, USA. |
| 1989 | “25th Anniversary of the Museum of Modern Art”, Mexico City, Mexico. “Homage to Santos Balmori”. Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Mexico City, Mexico. |
| 1990 | “Day of the Dead”. Museum of Modern Art, Mexico City, Mexico. |
| 1993 | National Museum of Fine Arts. Salon de la Plastica Mexicana. Mexico City, Mexico. |
| 1994 | “Images in the Century of Aids”. University of Colorado, Colorado. USA. |
| 1995 | The Mexico Valley, a contemporary vision of Landscape, Contemporary Museum of Art of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico |
Awards
Byron has received numerous awards throughout his career, among them are:| 1963 | Unique Award in Painting. Given by the Museum of Arts and Science of the National University, Mexico City, Mexico. |
| 1965 | First and Third Award in Sculpture. Given by the National School of Art of the National University, Mexico City, Mexico. |
| 1966 | First Award in Sculpture. Given by the Ford Foundation, Mexico City, Mexico. |
| 1967 | First Award in Sculpture. Given by the National Youth Institute, Mexico City, Mexico. |
| 1971 | Honorable Mention. Won in a national contest promoted by the Federal Comission of Steel, held at the Camino Real, Mexico City, Mexico. |
| 1986 | First Award in Sculpture. Given in a Group show for the “Salon Anual de la Plastica Mexicana”, Mexico City, Mexico. |
Other Activities
| 1973 | Special program filmed for the Ministry of Radio entitled “Artists, Museums and Galleries”, Mexico City, Mexico. |
| 1980 | “The Litograph in Mexico” Participation in documentary film and portfolio of graphics with four other artists, Mexico City, Mexico. |
| 1982 | Publishing of the book: Byron, with text by Octavio Vazques and Marco Julio Linares. |
| 1997 | Publishing of the book: Byron Gálvez: to touch the untouchable, with text by Roberto Vallarino |
The items listed here are highlights of Byron’s work; a full (14+ page) curriculum is available >>Here<<.
