Rómulo Macció

His work started getting more attention and he mounted his first exhibition in Buenos Aires' Galeria Gatea in 1956, showing surrealist influences in his pieces.

He joined a surrealist movement, earlier mentioned, being involved in the process of designing the magazine.

After experimenting with surrealism, he worked on biomorphic versions of abstract art for a short period, which was rare to see in Argentina.

He began taking a more expressive direction within his works not long after, focusing on "gesture and expression."

Macció's abstract art brought him to the attention of, among others, architect Clorindo Testa and he joined the Boa Group, one of a number of intellectual circles influencing local cultural life in those days.

Maccio joined the Boa Group, the Argentine branch of the Paris circle of surrealists.

Boa published a magazine that was part of their movement.

Maccio contributed by working on the magazine's designs and his paintings were also included in early issues.

Argentina's social issues heavily influenced Maccio's work, both his paintings and advertisements.

In one instance, he directed an ad he made in 1959 in response to the economic crisis the country was experiencing because of increasing inflation.

His advertisement represented applying, “rational thinking to complex solutions” in response to the financial crisis in Argentina.

Maccio indicated using simple solutions at our reach under challenging situations.

This solution was inspired by his own mother, who was a homemaker that made use of all the items around their household.

Maccio shared this solution as he'd seen his mother, a homemaker, make use of all the items around their household and urged others to do the same.

Continuing to be depicted in his artwork was a noticeable central head figure seen in ads such as for the Monde department store and another titled Cabeza, translating to Head in English.

Maccio would illustrate his pieces using fierce, bold colors and graphic devices he's familiar with to paint heads or human figures in abstract settings.

In recognition of his art, he was awarded the prestigious De Ridder Prize in 1959 and the Torcuato di Tella Institute International Prize in 1962, his fame brought him close to other Argentine avant-garde artists, such as Luis Felipe Noé.

Helping pioneer the Nueva Figuración movement in the 1960s, these artists used figurative art forms to break taboos that constrained artists and their art-making, addressing important issues in Argentina and Latin America.

After branching off from the group, Nueva Figuracion, Maccio would continue to develop his unique sense of art-making with an aesthetic of rebellion that would revolve mainly around social problems.

He and Noé soon helped pioneer the Nueva Figuración movement that swept Latin American art during the 1960s.

Along with having the addition of Noe on their team, Maccio outwardly encouraged the members of his group to view Ernesto Deira's exhibition in late September 1960.

Soon after, Deira would complete Nueva Figuracion as their fourth member.

Maccio described Deira initially as an artist of strong energy showing his attraction to certain influences.

Later in 1964 he was also awarded the Guggenheim International Prize in New York.

Later, Maccio would continue to do advertisement work with firms like Grant, Relator, and J. Walter Thompson.

He also painted figures in fragments but would transition to painting them as if they were in the early stages of development in 1977.

Maccio was also heavily influenced by reading art magazines in the French Library with a studio companion.

These art magazines informed him of Abstract Expressionism and Art Informel.

In addition, attending open exhibitions allowed Maccio to broaden his views by observing international contemporary art from DeKooning and Vedova, Pierre Soulages, Antoni Tapies, and more.

In his exhibition titled, “Ficitons” Maccio acknowledged Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borgis sharing the effect Borgis had on him.

During these years, he'd proceed to paint in a spontaneous Neo-Expressionist style.

He won the prestigious Konex Award from Argentina in 1982, 1992 and 2002.

Born into a middle-class family in Buenos Aires located in Argentina, his father owned a cardboard production factory.

At the same time, his mom was a homemaker who he greatly admired.

Macció developed an early interest in drawing, was self-taught and was hired as a graphic designer at the age of fourteen.

At the young age of fourteen, he became an apprentice for an advertising agency which would become a steady career lasting him for more than a decade.

His advertisements were creative and focused on contemporary issues.

Maccio then became a painter, but his career in graphic design had a lasting influence on his paintings.

Romulo Macció (1931 – 11 March 2016) was an Argentine painter who was associated with the avant-garde art movement named Nueva Figuracion, which favored a new form of figurative art.

Apart from Nueva Figuracion he participated in another group called Phases.