Julio Alpuy

By 1961, with over twenty years of experience he moved to New York City, NY and in 1965 married Joana Simoes. Over the next forty-plus years, Alpuy lived and worked in New York. This remained his permanent residence until his death on April 5, 2009, at the age of 90.

Haber, Alicia. Latin American Art in the Twentieth Century, edited by Edward J. Sullivan. London: Phaidon Press Inc., 2004.

Ramírez, Mari Carmen, et al.  Inverted Utopias: Avant-Garde Art in Latin America. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004.

1999 - Centro Cultural Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Argentina

1997 - Works on Paper, Cecilia de Torres, Ltd., New York

Kraskin, Sandra, and Balderrama, Maria R. Journeys of Julio Alpuy. New York: Baruch College, 1997.

El Taller Torres-García: The school of the South and Its Legacy, Edited by Mari Carmen Ramirez. Austin: University of Austin Press, 1992.

1985 - Museum of Contemporary Hispanic Art, New York

Christ, Ronald. Julio Alpuy: April 4 to May 4. New York: Museum of Contemporary Hispanic Art, 1984.

1983 - Museo de Arte Moderno y Arquitectura, Buenos Aires, Argentina

1979 - Alianza Cultural Uruguay y EE.UU., Montevideo, Uruguay

1979 - Window to the South, Henry Street Settlement, New York

1978 - Latin American Art Show, Great Neck Library, Great Neck, N.Y.

1978 - Arte Ibero Americano, Museo de Bellas Artes, Caracas, Venezuela

1977 - The Alternative Center for International Arts, New York

1977 - Arte Actual de Iberoamérica, Instituto de Cultura Hispánica, Madrid, Spain

1976 - III Bienal Americana de Artes Gráficas, Cali, Colombia

1976 - The New York Botanical Garden Museum, New York

Even though Alpuy occasionally traveled to Montevideo and other Latin American countries for exhibitions and commissions, Alpuy resided primarily in New York. In 1975, Alpuy began to teach drawing and painting classes in his studio. This interaction with the canvas reconnected him to his roots in painting, and he began to paint more often, primarily focusing on the individual in primeval landscapes and nature itself.

1974 - III Bienal del Grabado Latinoamericano, San Juan, Puerto Rico

1973 - Queens County Art and Cultural Center, Queens, N.Y.

1973 - University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts

1972 - Center for Inter-American Relations, New York

1972 - Galería do Diario de Noticias, Lisboa, Portugal

1972 - III Bienal de Arte Coltejer, Medellín, Colombia

1971 - Primera Bienal Americana de Artes Gráficas, Cali, Colombia

1970 - The Staff Assoc. of The Inter-American Development Bank, Washington, D.C.

1970 - Exposicion Panamericana de Artes Graficas, Cali, Colombia

1970 - II Bienal de Arte Coltejer, Medellín, Colombia

1970 - Center for Inter-American Relations, New York

Barnitz, Jaqueline. Latin American Artists in New York Since 1970. Austin: A. M. Huntington Art Gallery, College of Fine Arts, University of Texas at Austin, 1987.

1967 - Center for Inter-American Relations, New York

1965 - The Emily Lowe Gallery, Hofstra University, New York

1964 - University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts

After Alpuy left the TTG, he received a grant from the New School for Social Research in New York City. Encouraged by the grant and the presence of Augusto Torres and Gonzalo Fonseca, fellow TTG artists, in New York, Alpuy decided to move permanently to the city. This new environment offered Alpuy a canvas for creating, and he took full advantage of it. In the winter of 1962, Alpuy began to experiment in forming wood plates. This medium enabled Alpuy to express his thoughts on myth, nature, and human consciousness in a new way. These plates received mixed reviews, and some critics mentioned the influences of Torres-Garcia in the work, while others noted Alpuy's distancing from his previous work at the TTG. By the late 1960s, Alpuy evolved his new wooden works to included statuary and wood panels.

1960 - Biblioteca Luis Ángel Arango, Bogota, Colombia

1959 - Universidad de Carabobo, Valencia, Venezuela

1958 - Biblioteca Luis Ángel Arango, Bogota, Colombia

1956 - Sociedad Amigos del Arte, Montevideo Uruguay

After several years studying under Torres-Garcia, Alpuy began traveling around Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East. These travels provide new materials and ideas for Alpuy, as well as induced him to many new artist and thinkers. In between his travels abroad, Alpuy taught drawing at the TTG until 1955. His students include José Collell, Walter Deliotti, and Mario Lorieto.

1952/1954 - Bienal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

In December 1951, Alpuy left South America for Europe. He spent time in Greece where he studied classical and Byzantine architecture, sculpture, and mosaic. In the following January, Alpuy connected with Gonzalo Fonseca, a TTG artist, in Beirut, Lebanon. From Beirut, Alpuy and Fonseca toured Syria and Egypt, and paid special attention to Karnak while in Egypt. The Egyptian murals and hieroglyphs were very important for Alpuy because much of his interest in Constructive Universalism was focused on employing symbols and archetypes to project a message. The murals in Egypt encapsulated this for many TTG artists. After the Middle East, Alpuy returned to Europe and spent the majority of his time in Venice and Paris. While in Paris, Alpuy further studied Egyptian mythology. His notes highlight his interest in the Book of the Dead, which influenced some of Alpuy's later works. In 1953, Alpuy ended his European tour in Madrid, and then returned to Montevideo.

After Torres-García's death, in August 1949, Alpuy began teaching drawing at the Taller. He remained there until 1955. During these years Alpuy continued to develop his understanding of Constructive Universalism, but he began to divert from Torres-García's constructive style. Instead, Alpuy began delving into new mediums and ideas, and eventually left the school in 1956 to seek his own path.

While Alpuy and the other artists at the TTG focused on creating a form of art linked to the more general tradition of abstraction, they were also interested in the art of ancient cultures, especially those of South America. In December 1945, Torres-García encouraged Alpuy, and several others at the Taller, to travel in Latin America and study pre-Columbian art. Alpuy traveled primarily in Bolivia and Peru, and visited the "Gate of the Sun" in Tiwanaku. He additionally visited "Island of the Sun" and "Island of the Moon" at Lake Titicaca and Machu Picchu. Alpuy credits this experience in helping him understand Torres-García's ideas.

While Alpuy's time at the TTG was transformational, his international travels further developed his own artistic identity. Even though Alpuy traveled abroad before his Bolivia and Peru trip of 1945, that journey began Alpuy's extensive traveling.

1942/1960 - All Collective shows of Taller Torres-Garcia in South America, Europe, and United States

In 1939, Alpuy walked into an exhibition of José Cúneo's watercolors. Alpuy was amazed at the watercolors, so he bought various supplies and began drawing. Shortly after, Víctor Bachetta, a member of the Association of Constructive Art, connected Alpuy with Joaquín Torres-Garcia. Alpuy then joined the Taller Torres-García (TTG) in 1940. Alpuy's years at the TTG changed the trajectory of his life. He found a community that taught him how to create, but also challenged him intellectually.

Cancel, Luis R.; Quirarte, Jacinto; Benítez, Marimar; Perazzo, Nelly; Sims, Lowery S.; Cockcroft, Eva; Angel, Félix and Stellweg, Carla. The Latin American Spirit: Art and    Artists in the United States, 1920-1970. New York: Bronx Museum of Art in association with Harry N. Abrams, 1988.

Julio Uruguay Alpuy (January 27, 1919 – April 5, 2009) was an Uruguayan painter, sculptor, and muralist. During his early career, Alpuy was a part of the Taller Torres-García (School of the South) and the constructive art movement. While his early works were greatly influenced by Torres-García's theories about what he called Constructive Universalism, Alpuy drew from a wide variety of cultures and myths to create works that broke the boundaries of the constructive grid. Additionally, his studies in Europe and Latin America helped develop an interest in Cubism and myths that influenced later works. Alpuy had a prolific career and his works are exhibited throughout the world.

Alpuy was born in Tacuarembó, Uruguay, the capital of the Tacuarembó department in northern Uruguay, on January 27, 1919, to Sixto Alpuy and Virginia Bevans. When Alpuy was 18 months old his mother died, so he was raised by his paternal grandmother and aunts. Alpuy's childhood was spent in the countryside, where he learned various farming skills, but he also attended school. At the age of sixteen, Alpuy was sent to Montevideo to continue his education. However, to pay for school he worked during the day and went to night classes. While in Montevideo, Alpuy became friends with members the Libertarian Youth (Juventudes Libertarias). Alpuy attributes these years in association with the Juventudes Libertarias to have helped further his understandings of freedom, justice, and respect. During these early years, Alpuy had little to no interaction with art.