Rafael Saldarriaga Photography

Artist Rafael Saldarriaga brings elements of his native Colombia into vivid focus by way of bright still lifes and figurative portraits with darker, more somber tones. Whether capturing a bowl of oranges with realistic clarity or depicting an otherworldly basket of apples on a table against the backdrop of dry prairie, Saldarriaga creates work with a unique essence.

Born in Medellín, Colombia, Saldarriaga graduated from the School of Urban and Architectural Design at Pontifical Bolivarian University in 1983. He began his journey to being a painter in 1984 and moved to the United States in 1993, settling in New Mexico for a couple of years. From 1994 to 1995, Saldarriaga performed live drawings at Hardwood Hoffman Studio in Albuquerque. He then relocated to Hawaii and, from 1997 to 1998, did live drawings for the Hui No‘eau Visual Arts Center on Maui. 

Throughout his career, Saldarriaga has exhibited in solo and group shows, including the 1996 Sapporo International Art Festival in Japan, in which he won the Premier Prix du Public award.

After his time in Hawaii, Saldarriaga moved to New York City, where he also performed live drawings and exhibited his work from 1998 to 1999. He later moved to West Palm Beach, Florida, where he currently lives and works, creating more wonderful still lifes and surrealist figurative work.

On 1stDibs, explore a wide selection of Rafael Saldarriaga’s still life, figurative and landscape paintings.