Juan Villafuerte

Who was Juan Villafuerte?

Juan Villafuerte was an artist known for his transmutated drawings and paintings. Villafuerte is among the ranks of other prominent Latin American painters such as, Enrique Tábara, Aníbal Villacís, Félix Arauz, Oswaldo Guayasamin, Hernan Zuniga and Jose Carreño.

Villafuerte was born on July 19, 1945, in Guayaquil, Ecuador to Manuel Villafuerte and Rosa Estrada. Juan was the youngest of four brothers, Manuel, and two sisters, Nila and Vilma. Nila was 13 when Juan was born. Nila later went on to marry Félix Arauz.

In 1960, Villafuerte attended the School of Beautiful Arts in Guayaquil and was mentored by Theo Constanté, Hans Michelson and Caesar Andrade Faini. In 1964, Villafuerte and Hernan Zuniga moved to the factory of Juan Manuel Guano to work and live the Boehemian life of an artist. Villafuerte left the school in 1966 and began drawing from nature. Although Villafuerte did not follow in their footsteps he was greatly inspired by Gilberto Almeida and Enrique Tabara's Pre-Columbian inspired paintings. After graduation, Villafuerte participated in numerous Collective Exhibions at the House of Culture, Nucleus of the Guayas, and the Museum of Colonial Art.