Francisco Narváez

Torso (FGPC-001)

1956

Francisco José Narváez (4 October 1905, Porlamar – 13 July 1982, Caracas) was a Venezuelan sculptor and painter who is perhaps best known for "Las Toninas", a sculptural group that decorates the fountain of the Plaza O'Leary in Caracas. His work is characterized by a strong ethnic component and he made extensive use of local materials. Narváez was the son of a cabinetmaker and restorer. While he was still very young, the family moved to Caracas and he began his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts. In 1928, he left for Paris where he attended the Académie Julian and established connections with the artistic community in Montparnasse. He returned to Venezuela in 1931 and, a few years later, began to work with the architect Carlos Raúl Villanueva, who commissioned him to supply sculptures for his projects, including the Plaza of Carabobo Park, the facade for the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Natural Sciences and the Plaza O'Leary. In 1981 and 1982, he created two sculptures of monumental proportions. One of them, "Gran Volumen", was made for the Amuay Refinery Complex and the other, one of his last completed works, the "Armonía de Volúmenes y Espacio", was for Caracas Metro.[1] It is located in a plaza that was later named for him.