Perez Celis, an Argentine painter, sculptor and muralist whose highly visible works adorned museums, banks, airports and universities as well as soccer stadiums and wine bottles, died of leukemia Aug. 2 at a clinic in Buenos Aires. He was 69.
Celis had burst into prominence by the early 1960s and became a prolific exhibitor in galleries and museums from Buenos Aires to New York. Although widely known for his abstract pieces, he declined to be identified with any prevailing fashions or trends in the art world.
During the rise of Pop Art in the early '60s -- exemplified by Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg -- Celis immersed himself in the indigenous art tradition of Argentina and Peru. In later years, he turned to more figurative designs from his studio in Miami.
Besides his skillful use of light and shadow, Celis' work resonated with many observers for its assertive, often juxtaposed geometric lines. He said such bold features were inspired by extended visits to the horizontal plains of the Argentine pampas and later to Caracas, Paris and New York, cities where the vertical skylines dominated the horizon.
Some critics and artists could be less than enthusiastic about Celis' art, a view often chalked up to jealousy of his popular success. He had more than 120 solo shows during his career, and his art was purchased for many private collections and first-rate museums, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He received commissions from governments and businesses, which displayed his art prominently.
A huge fan of the Boca Junior soccer team, Celis created two enormous murals in 1997 for the team's La Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires: "Idolos" (Idols) and "Mito y Destino" (Myth and Destiny), both Venetian mosaics and bronze on cement.
Jacques Martinez, a gallery owner in Buenos Aires who organized many exhibits of Celis' work, explained the artist's cultural significance this way: "It's one thing to be Jackson Pollock, but quite another to be Jackson Pollock with a display at Yankee Stadium."
But Celis' tendency to explore cultures and styles throughout his career is also what makes him intriguing and important, Martinez added.
"The geometrical and informal work of the beginning of the '60s is surprisingly fresh," he said. "The series of the '70s, which can be called 'Indo-American' and took elements of those cultures, were the ones that placed him as a great Latin American artist."
