"Some objects are charged, others not. When I touch one of these objects something transmits an energy to me. I’ve brought back pieces, some very rare, from my country, maybe 1000 or 1200 years old, and when I have them in my hand, I can feel that they really are something. That energy is what I want to transmit with objects."
— Marcelo Bonevardi [1]
Leon Tovar Gallery represents the Estate of Marcelo Bonevardi worldwide.
Marcelo Bonevardi (b. 1929 Buenos Aires, Argentina - 1994 Córdoba, Argentina) was an Argentinian artist known for his mystical, metaphorical mixed-media works. Inspired by Renaissance paintings, architecture, and the art of Giorgio de Chirico, Bonevardi created surreal, architectonic compositions combining carved 3D objects, painting, and drawing. After studying architecture in Rome, Bonevardi had architecture-related jobs in Argentina while building his painting practice. Moving to New York City in 1958, he embraced artistic innovations by Abstract Expressionists and Joseph Cornell while developing a highly symbolic personal style fusing geometric abstraction with fantastical artifacts. His acclaimed "painting-constructions" embedded hand-carved fetish objects within architectural illusions painted on wood. Despite the unrest in 1970s Argentina impacting his darker drawings and prints, Bonevardi continued innovating. Receiving international acclaim with prizes at the 1969 São Paulo Biennial and 1983 Venice Biennale, his psychologically charged mixed-media works synthesize Old Master techniques, surrealism, and Latin American magical realism traditions with a sophisticated contemporary aesthetic.