Rodrigo_Arenas_Betancourt
Rodrigo Arenas Betancourt
Colombian sculptor
Rodrigo Arenas Betancourt (23 October 1919 – 14 May 1995[1]) was a Colombian sculptor. At the time of his death in 1995 he was recognized as one of the most important sculptors in Colombia and Latin America.[1] Most of the major cities in Colombia have statues sculpted by Arenas Betancourt.[citation needed]
Arenas Betancourt died on 14 May 1995 in the municipality of Caldas, located in the southern end of the Valley of Aburrá and part of the Medellín Metropolitan Area.[1]
His bronze statues are characterized by their enormous proportions and dramatic expression.[1]
Examples of his artwork are:
- Naked Bolívar in Pereira
- Monumento a la Raza, bronze and concrete, 38 m height, located in La Alpujarra Administrative Center in Medellín
- Sculptural Complex Vargas Swamp Lancers near Paipa is the largest sculpture in Colombia.
- Monument to Effort in Armenia
- Monument to the Marching Revolution in Valledupar
- Monument to the founders in Bogotá (installed 1965)[2]
- Statue of Simón Bolívar in Bogotá (installed 1963)[2]
Additionally to sculpture, Arenas Betancourt worked in printmaking and book illustration.[3]