Enrique Grau (Panama, 1920 - Colombia, 2004)

Enrique Grau was born in Panama City, Panama, and he was raised in Cartagena, Colombia. Renowned for his depictions of Amerindian and Afro-Colombian figures, Grau was a member of the triumvirate of key Colombian artists of the 20th century that also included Fernando Botero and Alejandro Obregón. A self-made artist, Grau studied at the Art Students League in New York in the early 1940s. He later toured Italy where he learned etching and fresco techniques before moving to the city of Cartagena. Grau used popular expressions, kitsch and drama in his works. He concentrated on painting sensual characters, dressed in exotic fashion, located in nostalgic or theatrical environments and accompanied by unexpected elements in unusual settings. Enrique Grau died in Bogotá, Colombia in 2004. 

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