(April 29, 1937 – February 12, 2020)
Javier Arevalo was an outstanding contemporary Mexican artist, whose work was the subject of numerous exhibitions worldwide, including Europe, Latin America, the United States, Mexico, and Japan. His influence was particularly significant in Mexico City and Guadalajara, Jalisco. He also taught art at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City.
Arevalo was born on April 29, 1937, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. His grandmother, a traditional healer, imparted concepts to him that stayed with him. At the age of ten, he won the first prize in a children's competition in Guadalajara and began studying drawing, painting, and calligraphy with local artist Jorge Martínez.
In 1957, he began his professional artistic training at the Escuela de Artes y Letras in Guadalajara. Shortly after, he spent a year on the coasts of Nayarit and Jalisco, painting landscapes. In 1961, he entered the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas in Mexico City, where he studied primarily under the guidance of Antonio Rodríguez Luna.
After college, Arevalo continued to paint. His artworks have been exhibited throughout Latin America and in the United States, Russia, Canada, and France. In 1963, he was appointed director of the Fine Arts section of the School of Fine Arts at the University of Morelia in Michoacán. His accolades include the New Values Award in 1963, the National Art Award, and acceptance as a member of the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana.
Javier Arevalo passed away in his hometown on February 12, 2020.
