Miguel Betancourt

Miguel Betancourt
Miguel Betancourt
	Miguel Betancourt
Born	5 January 1958 (age 63); Quito, Ecuador
Nationality	Ecuadorian
Education	Milwaukee Art Center,; Slade School of Fine Art University College London,; Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador
Known for	Contemporary Art
Website	www.miguelbetancourt.com

Miguel Betancourt (born 5 January 1958) is an Ecuadorian contemporary artist living in Quito, Ecuador. He was formed as an artist in Ecuador, the United States, and the United Kingdom. His paintings are a fusion of local cultural motives and colors, and Western artistic influence.

Life[]

Born in Quito, Ecuador in 1958, Betancourt grew up in the outskirts of the city (Cumbayá). In 1974, he initiated art classes with Ecuadorian artist, Oswaldo Moreno. In 1976-1977, he went to study at the Milwaukee Art Center, United States, for a year. Upon his return to Ecuador, he enrolled in the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador to study Pedagogy and Literature until 1982, while continuing to develop his artistic career. In 1988, he was invited by the Department of State of the US to a Cultural Tour. In the same year, the British Council awarded him a scholarship to study a postgraduate art degree at the Slade School of Fine Art at the University College London. During his time in London, Betancourt befriended British artist John Hoyland. In 1992, he held a traveling exhibition through Europe.

Artistic career[]

In 1993, he was selected to represent his country at the XLV. Venice Biennale, Italy - one of his major career highlights. In the last decade, he was part of various individual and collective exhibitions around the world. In 2000, he exhibited a show at the Canberra Museum and Gallery. Between 2001 and 2003, his paintings went on itinerant shows through Central America. Highlights in the recent past include participation in Visual Trends in Ecuador´s Contemporary Art organized by the Corporación Andina de Fomento in Caracas, Venezuela (2004); participation as Invitee of Honor to the V. International Art Biennial SIART in La Paz, Bolivia (2007), and in The Night of the Museums in Buenos Aires, Argentina (2009).^[3] At the beginning of 2011, Betancourt participated in the "Exhibition of Latin American and Caribbean Artists" in the Tokyo City Hall, organized by the embassies of the Americas. In July 2012, he participated in a collective exhibition "Ecuador Beyond Concepts" at the gallery of the Cervantes Institute in Rome.^[4] Then, in September 2013, the Gallery Bandi-Trazos invited him to be part of the Latin-American Pavilion in the International Art Fair, in the Beijing Exhibition Center. In 2014 he was part of a collective exhibition "Ecuador in Focus" (along 2 other Ecuadorian artists), at the OPEC Fund for International Development headquarters in Vienna. In 2016 he participated in ARTE15 as part of the artistic events to celebrate the conference Habitat III which took place in Quito. Since 2017 his itinerant one-man show has been presented in various cities in Asia: Beijing, Nanjing, Seoul and Tokyo. Finally, since 2018 his artwork has been part of a traveling group show, Imago Mundi, sponsored by the Benetton Foundation and shown in several countries around the world.

Betancourt has received recognition, including the Pollock-Krasner Award in 1993, conferred by the Pollock-Krasner Foundation in New York City, United States.

Betancourt continues to be involved in various projects and exhibitions in Ecuador and internationally. He is a founding member of movement Art Résilience created in Paris in 2014, with headquarters in the Bateau-Lavoir, Paris.

Collections[]

His art has exhibited in museums and exhibitions, and found part in private collections in Europe and Latin America, including the art collections of the United Nations offices in Vienna and in Geneva (specifically in UNAIDS). Additionally, his artwork can be found in other private collections like: Inter-American Development Bank (Tokio), Diners Club del Ecuador, Istituto Italo-Latino Americano (Rome), Art Museum of the Americas, OEA (Washington D.C.), OFID (the OPEC Fund for International Development), Vienna, or Slade School of Fine Art (London).

Publications[]

Michelena, X. and Querejeta, A. (1996) "Betancourt", Paradiso Editores, Quito (Ecuador).
Flores, I. et al. (2001) "Nuevos Cien Artistas", Revista Mundo Diners, Quito (Ecuador).
The curators (2006) "Oil Paintings-London in Public Ownership: The Slade and UCL", Public Catalogue Foundation, London (United Kingdom).
Rodríguez, M.A. (2011) "Betancourt: Colores y Texturas",^[5] Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana, Quito (Ecuador).
Rodríguez, M.A. (2011) "Palabra de Pintores - Artistas del Ecuador", Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana, Quito (Ecuador).
Betancourt, M. (2014), "Betancourt - Imágenes a trasluz",^[6] Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana, Quito (Ecuador).
Lastra, P. (2016), "El transcurrir del sueño: pinturas de Miguel Betancourt", Editorial del Trauco, Quito (Ecuador).
Benetton, L. et al. (2017) "Ecuador: light of time - Contemporary artists from Ecuador", Antiga Edizioni, Treviso (Italy).

Recently, articles about Betancourt's work have appeared in magazines such as Americas (OAS, Washington DC), Gatopardo (Mexico), Infinite Ecuador (Quito) and Dolce Vita (Quito), among others.

Main exhibitions[]

(1993), XLV. Venice Biennale – Venice, Italy.
(2000), "Legados de Magma", Canberra Museum and Gallery, Australia.
(2001–2003), A Touring exhibition throughout Central America.
(2004), "Visual Trends in Ecuador´s Contemporary Art", Corporación Andina de Fomento – Caracas, Venezuela.
(2007), Invitee of Honor to the V. International Art Biennial SIART – La Paz, Bolivia.
(2009), "The Night of the Museums", An art event sponsored by the City Government of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
(2011), "Betancourt: Colores y Texturas", Retrospective Exhibition, Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana^[7] – Quito, Ecuador.
(2012), "Aequatoria, Plus Ultra Conceptus", A group exhibition presented in the Instituto Cervantes – Rome, Italy.
(2015), "Salon International Art Resilience", Saint-Frajou Painting Museum, France.

Individual exhibitions[]

1982 Goríbar Gallery, Quito
1983 Ecuadorian House of Culture, Cuenca
1985 Doors, Walls and Threads, Sosa-Nesle Gallery, Quito
1989 Slade School of Fine Art, University College London
1989 Rituals, Contemporary Art Gallery, Quito
1991 Museum of Modern Art, Cuenca
1992 Jungle Ogive, Art-Forvm Gallery, Quito
1992 Jungle Ogive, Alte Schmiede Gallery, Vienna
1993 October Gallery, London
1993 Jungle Ogive, Italian-Latin American Institute, Rome
1994 Arborescences, La Manzana Verde Gallery, Guayaquil
1995 Memoria Vegetal, La Galería, Quito
1996 Van den Broek Gallery, Oosterbeeck
1996 The British Council, Quito
1996 Matter and Transparency, Women's Cultural Center, Guayaquil
1996 Köenig Museum, Bonn
1997 Red Stone on Blue Stone, MS Gallery, Quito
1998 Edifications, Central Bank of Ecuador, Cuenca
1998 Red Stone on Blue Stone, Alte Schmiede Gallery, Vienna
1999 Itsván Rozsics Gallery, Budapest
1999 Plant Architecture, National Museum, Lima
2000 Palace of the Nations, United Nations, Geneva
2000 Magma Legacy, Multicultural Festival 2000, Canberra Museum, Canberra
2000 Magma Legacy, La Galería, Quito
2000 Magma Legacy, Municipal Museum of Modern Art, Cuenca
2001 Ecuadorian Culture Month, Ixchel Museum, Guatemala
2001 Encounter with the Middle of the World, 1-2-3 Gallery, San Salvador
2002 Museum of the Honduran Man, Tegucigalpa
2002 Time and Space of Color, Todo Arte Gallery, Guayaquil
2002 Time and Space of Color, Gallery of the National Bank, Lima
2002 Time and Space of Color, French Alliance, Quito
2002 Caramba Latin American Gallery, Sydney
2003 Bodies and Cities, French Alliance, Cuenca
2003 Sampedrano Cultural Center, San Pedro Sula
2003 Evidencias, PUCE Cultural Center, Quito
2004 Silky and Rough Figure, Galería Igor Muñoz, Quito
2005 Recompositions, Galería Matthei, Santiago de Chile
2005 Pictorial Art, Centro Cultural Metropolitano, Quito
2006 Pictorial Art, Multifunctional Room, MAAC, Central Bank of Ecuador, Guayaquil.
2006 Pictorial Art, Museo Municipal de Arte Contemporáneo (MMAM), Cuenca
2007 Recompositions, French Alliance, Quito
2009 Eternal Forest, French Alliance, Quito
2010 The visions of Miguel Betancourt, City Hall Gallery, Cuenca
2011 Betancourt: Colors and Textures (retrospective exhibition), Ecuadorian House of Culture, Quito
2014 Images against the Light, Watercolors, French Alliance, Quito
2015 Illuminated Walls, Multimedia exhibition, Xerrajeros Gallery, Cumbayá
2017 Lines and Transparencies, pintura sobre papel, The Capital Library Gallery, Beijing
2017 Ecuador Through My Dreams, painting on paper, Superior Gallery, Seoul^[8]
2018 Ecuador Through My Dreams, painting on paper, Takanawa Gallery, Tokio
2018 Ninfas, Meninas y la Mirada del Pintor, French Alliance, Quito^[9]
2018 Ninfas, Meninas y la Mirada del Pintor, Ecuadorian House of Culture, Cuenca

Collective exhibitions[]

1985 Ecuadorian Contemporary Art, Miraflores Municipality, Lima
1991-92 12 Ecuadorian Artists itinerant show, International Carnival and Mask Museum, Belgium
1992 International Exposition of Seville, Pabellón Ecuatoriano, Seville
1994 Latin American Contemporary Art Show, Het Provinciehuis, The Hague
1994 Ibero American Art Fair, Caracas
1996 Contemporary Latin American Painting, Nuevas Tendencias Exhibit Room, Santiago, Chile
1997 Contemporary Ecuadorian Painting, Museum of Contemporary Art, Santiago, Chile
1997 Painting with Children, joint event between Chile and Ecuador, Guayasamin Foundation, Quito
1997 Contemporary Ecuador, House of America, Linares Palace, Madrid
1997 Archangels in the Latin American Tradition, Museum of Latin American Art (MoLAA), California
1998 Israel, Past and Present itinerant show, Central Bank of Ecuador: Quito, Guayaquil and Cuenca
1998 Eros in Ecuadorian Art, National Fine Arts Museum, Santiago, Chile
1998 Eros in Ecuadorian Art, Anthropological Museum, Lima
1998 Tribute to Ecuadorian Art, Brazilian-Ecuadorian Cultural Institute, Quito
1999 Art 100, Diners Collection for the 20th Century, Ecuadorian House of Culture, Quito
2000 Ecuadorian Culture Week, House of America, Madrid
2000 Quito Contemporary Art's Living Testimony, Metropolitan Cultural Center, Quito
2000 Corruption, Ecuadorian House of Culture, Quito
2001 Latin American Artists: A Contemporary Journey, Museum of Latin American Art (MoLAA), California
2001 Small Anthology of Modern Ecuadorian Watercolors, Benjamín Carrión Center, Quito.
2002 Miami Art 2002, Florida
2002 Latin-American Art, Pirámide Gallery, Guatemala de la Asunción
2002 Expression and Form in Twentieth-Century Ecuadorian Art, Central Bank Museum, Quito
2003 Anniversary Show: 10 Years, Galería Todo Arte, Guayaquil
2004 Visual Trends of Contemporary Ecuador, Galería CAF (Corporación Andina de Fomento), Caracas, Venezuela
2004 Opening Show, Centro Cultural Elmar Rojas, Guatemala
2004 Four Contemporary Ecuadorian Artists, AFS World Congress, Tokyo
2005 Andean Watercolor Exposition, Museo de Arte Moderno, Cuenca
2005 Art with two hands, Fundación Operación Sonrisa, Quito
2006 Anthology of Pichincha's Bank Collection, Centro Cultural Metropolitano, Quito
2006 Utopía 2006, Exhibition and Art Auction, Alianza Francesa, Quito
2007 IV Latin American contemporary Art Fair, Royal Archives of Belgium, Brussels
2008 Bulls in Colors, Open-air Exhibition of Urban Art 2008, Quito
2009 Ispirato Corpo, Art and design fusion, parallel exhibit to the X Art Biennial of Cuenca, Casa del Coco, Cuenca
2010 Trazoseis, Painting and Sculpture Exhibit, Centro de Exposiciones El Cubo, Cumbayá
2011 Latin-American and Caribbean Artists Exhibition, Mirador del Tokio City Hall, Japan
2011 Latin Eye, Looking Eastward Russia, Benetton Foundation Research Studies, Treviso
2012 Ecuador, Beyond Concepts, Cervantes Institute Gallery, Rome
2012 Latin Eye, Looking Eastward, made in China, Casabella Laboratory, Milan
2013 Latin Eye, Looking Eastward, made in China, Unexplored Territory, Benetton Foundation, Treviso
2013 Latin-American Pavilion, International Art Fair, Beijing Exhibition Center, China
2014 Discussion and Action, Group exhibition: Marcelo Aguirre, Luigi Stornaiolo and Miguel Betancourt, Xerrajeros Gallery, Cumbaya
2014 Mutable Nature (3 artists), AFESE Art and Culture, Quito
2014 Ecuador in Focus, OFID Gallery, Vienna
2015 Art Resilience International Show, Art Museum of Saint-Frajou, France
2015 Special Exhibition of Contemporary Ecuadorian Art, VI Beijing International Art Biennial, China^[10]
2016 Arte15, exhibition within the program HABITAT III, Quito
2017 Strokes and Colors, Ecuadorian Art, Betancourt-Bazante, Jiangsu Art Museum, Nanjing
2017 The Ecuadorian Art Pavilion, Cultural Center, PUCE, Quito

Gallery[]

Gallo de la Catedral, watercolor / paper, 76x56cm, 1987
Ojivas de la Selva, acrylic / paper, 76x56cm, 1992
Árbol de letras, mixed / hemp canvas, 256x186cm, 2001
Naipe, mixed / canvas & cardboard, 320x200cm, 2006
Flora y Fauna en Cabeza Femenina, oil / canvas, 110x45cm, 2009
Poliptico Intercambiable, mixed / hemp canvas, 120x30cm each, 2014
Exhibition Translucent Imagery, 2014

References[]

^ Art in Embassies, from the website of the U.S. Department of States.
^ UCL Alunmi Newsletter Archived 15 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine, alumni newsletter of the University College London: March 2009.
^ Article in the Américas Magazine, Blanco, A. (2010). "Expressions of Experience", Américas Magazine published by the Organization of American States, Vol. 62, Nr. 3, May/June 2010, Washington, D.C. (USA).
^ Catalogue: Betancourt – Aequatoria, Plus Ultra Conceptus, personal website of the artist.
^ Catalogue: Betancourt – Colores y Textures, personal website of the artist.
^ Catalogue: Betancourt - Imágenes a trasluz, personal website of the artist.
^ Casa de la Cultura Archived 26 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine, Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana "Benjamín Carrión", Quito (Ecuador).
^ Lee, Joel (15 August 2017). "Ecuadorian artist distills mystic beauty of homeland". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
^ Video: Las caras mestizas de "Las meninas", Youtube.
^ Article: Art China, Art China website.

External links[]

[1] Art in Embassies, from the website of the U.S. Department of States.

[2] UCL Alunmi Newsletter Archived 15 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine, alumni newsletter of the University College London: March 2009.

[3] Article in the Américas Magazine, Blanco, A. (2010). "Expressions of Experience", Américas Magazine published by the Organization of American States, Vol. 62, Nr. 3, May/June 2010, Washington, D.C. (USA).

[4] Catalogue: Betancourt – Aequatoria, Plus Ultra Conceptus, personal website of the artist.

[5] Catalogue: Betancourt – Colores y Textures, personal website of the artist.

[6] Catalogue: Betancourt - Imágenes a trasluz, personal website of the artist.

[7] Casa de la Cultura Archived 26 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine, Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana "Benjamín Carrión", Quito (Ecuador).

[8] Lee, Joel (15 August 2017). "Ecuadorian artist distills mystic beauty of homeland". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 7 August 2019.

[9] Video: Las caras mestizas de "Las meninas", Youtube.

[10] Article: Art China, Art China website.

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