Umaña
Encyclopedia
Rafael Alfonso Umaña Mendez (1908 - November 20, 1994), known to most as Umaña, created art for seven decades in New York, France, Spain, Florida, and Virginia, mastering numerous media including textiles; sculpture in marble, silver, and iron; painting and drawings in oil, watercolor, pencil, silver- and goldpoint; printmaking; and fine art book illustration.
, Colombia
to a family of artisans, his father was an accomplished metal-worker and iron forger whose work was commissioned by churches, the government, and other wealthy clients. Both of Umaña’s parents died during his teens but left him an inheritance allowing him to continue his education. In 1925 at the age of 17 Umaña traveled to Madrid
to study at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando
and the Royal Tapestry Factories. He remained there until the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War
in 1936.
From 1936 until 1979, Umaña lived and worked mainly in New York City. In 1936 the Alma Reed Gallery (Delphic Studios) hosted his first one-man show of paintings. Umaña was one of many Latin American artists introduced to the New York gallery scene by Alma Reed. Umaña also supported himself with his weaving skills, forming a professional and personal partnership with artist and textile designer Eve Peri, his first wife. Under the name Peri-Umana, the couple designed textiles in contemporary motifs with Latin American influences. Umaña wove the rugs, fabrics and tapestries using traditional Colombian techniques. In 1938 Peri-Umaña showed their collaborations at the Reed Gallery and received commissions from the interior designer Robjohn Givens. Givens used Peri-Umaña fabrics extensively is his work in New York City and in the Hamptons
.
In late 1943 Umaña enlisted in the United States Army and was posted to the Pacific Theater
until 1945. His Army service allowed him to further his education on the G.I. Bill at the New School for Social Research from 1945-48. From 1948-50 he returned to his art studies in Paris at the Académie Julian
showing paintings twice in exhibitions at the Salon de Mai
and the Salon des Arts Nouveaux in 1950.
During the 1940s Umaña also met a young dancer from Virginia, Helen McGehee a member of the Martha Graham
Company. Gehee, as Umaña called her, became Umaña’s second wife and chief collaborator for the rest of his life. In 1948-49 Helen joined Umaña in Paris where they were married in 1950 (his divorce from Eve Peri was finalized in 1949). Upon the couple's return from Europe
in 1950, Helen rejoined the Martha Graham Company and by the mid-1950s was lead dancer, taking over most roles originated by Graham. Through McGehee, Umaña furthered his association with the Martha Graham Company that would include photographing and filming the troupe in rehearsal and on tour, designing costumes for Graham dances including the Seer’s Mask for Night Journey, and sketching portraits of Graham and others associated with troupe. Many of the portraits and dance sketches are in the difficult methods of silver and goldpoint. By the 1950s Umaña had also developed his signature painting style described by Leroy Leatherman, reviewing one of his many gallery shows during this decade:
"Umaña took his instruction from cubism
, but like any other serious artist he uses it as his discipline, not his tyrant. He goes from abstraction to representation, and works all the intermediate stages with obvious authority and ease. The source of his authority as an artist is his sensibility, his feeling which goes directly to his canvas, the way all artists always pray it will. It rarely happens, but when it does, it is a delightful thing to encounter."
Through the 1960s, the Umañas lived and worked in New York. During this time Umaña achieved his greatest and most consistent success showing paintings, drawings, and textiles in galleries in New York and Florida. He continued to gain good notices especially for his much more abstract “Gate Into Space” painting exhibition in 1961 in celebration of John Glenn
’s first space walk. In 1979 Umaña and Helen returned to her hometown, Lynchburg
, where he continued to work and develop skills with new media, especially as a forger in iron sculpture.
Biography
Born in BogotáBogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
to a family of artisans, his father was an accomplished metal-worker and iron forger whose work was commissioned by churches, the government, and other wealthy clients. Both of Umaña’s parents died during his teens but left him an inheritance allowing him to continue his education. In 1925 at the age of 17 Umaña traveled to Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
to study at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando
Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando
The Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando , located on the Calle de Alcalá in the heart of Madrid, currently functions as a museum and gallery....
and the Royal Tapestry Factories. He remained there until the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
in 1936.
From 1936 until 1979, Umaña lived and worked mainly in New York City. In 1936 the Alma Reed Gallery (Delphic Studios) hosted his first one-man show of paintings. Umaña was one of many Latin American artists introduced to the New York gallery scene by Alma Reed. Umaña also supported himself with his weaving skills, forming a professional and personal partnership with artist and textile designer Eve Peri, his first wife. Under the name Peri-Umana, the couple designed textiles in contemporary motifs with Latin American influences. Umaña wove the rugs, fabrics and tapestries using traditional Colombian techniques. In 1938 Peri-Umaña showed their collaborations at the Reed Gallery and received commissions from the interior designer Robjohn Givens. Givens used Peri-Umaña fabrics extensively is his work in New York City and in the Hamptons
Hamptons
The Hamptons may refer to several villages and hamlets in the towns of Southampton and East Hampton on the far east end of Suffolk County in Long Island, New York. These townships occupy the South Fork of Long Island, stretching into the Atlantic Ocean. The Hamptons form a popular seaside resort,...
.
In late 1943 Umaña enlisted in the United States Army and was posted to the Pacific Theater
Pacific Ocean theater of World War II
The Pacific Ocean theatre was one of four major naval theatres of war of World War II, which pitted the forces of Japan against those of the United States, the British Commonwealth, the Netherlands and France....
until 1945. His Army service allowed him to further his education on the G.I. Bill at the New School for Social Research from 1945-48. From 1948-50 he returned to his art studies in Paris at the Académie Julian
Académie Julian
The Académie Julian was an art school in Paris, France.Rodolphe Julian established the Académie Julian in 1868 at the Passage des Panoramas, as a private studio school for art students. The Académie Julian not only prepared students to the exams at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts, but offered...
showing paintings twice in exhibitions at the Salon de Mai
Salon de Mai
The Salon de Mai is a French group of artists which formed in a café in place du Palais Royal in Paris in October 1943 during the German occupation of France. It was founded in opposition to Nazi ideology and its condemnation of degenerate art...
and the Salon des Arts Nouveaux in 1950.
During the 1940s Umaña also met a young dancer from Virginia, Helen McGehee a member of the Martha Graham
Martha Graham
Martha Graham was an American modern dancer and choreographer whose influence on dance has been compared with the influence Picasso had on modern visual arts, Stravinsky had on music, or Frank Lloyd Wright had on architecture.She danced and choreographed for over seventy years...
Company. Gehee, as Umaña called her, became Umaña’s second wife and chief collaborator for the rest of his life. In 1948-49 Helen joined Umaña in Paris where they were married in 1950 (his divorce from Eve Peri was finalized in 1949). Upon the couple's return from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in 1950, Helen rejoined the Martha Graham Company and by the mid-1950s was lead dancer, taking over most roles originated by Graham. Through McGehee, Umaña furthered his association with the Martha Graham Company that would include photographing and filming the troupe in rehearsal and on tour, designing costumes for Graham dances including the Seer’s Mask for Night Journey, and sketching portraits of Graham and others associated with troupe. Many of the portraits and dance sketches are in the difficult methods of silver and goldpoint. By the 1950s Umaña had also developed his signature painting style described by Leroy Leatherman, reviewing one of his many gallery shows during this decade:
"Umaña took his instruction from cubism
Cubism
Cubism was a 20th century avant-garde art movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture...
, but like any other serious artist he uses it as his discipline, not his tyrant. He goes from abstraction to representation, and works all the intermediate stages with obvious authority and ease. The source of his authority as an artist is his sensibility, his feeling which goes directly to his canvas, the way all artists always pray it will. It rarely happens, but when it does, it is a delightful thing to encounter."
Through the 1960s, the Umañas lived and worked in New York. During this time Umaña achieved his greatest and most consistent success showing paintings, drawings, and textiles in galleries in New York and Florida. He continued to gain good notices especially for his much more abstract “Gate Into Space” painting exhibition in 1961 in celebration of John Glenn
John Glenn
John Herschel Glenn, Jr. is a former United States Marine Corps pilot, astronaut, and United States senator who was the first American to orbit the Earth and the third American in space. Glenn was a Marine Corps fighter pilot before joining NASA's Mercury program as a member of NASA's original...
’s first space walk. In 1979 Umaña and Helen returned to her hometown, Lynchburg
Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 75,568 as of 2010. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River, Lynchburg is known as the "City of Seven Hills" or "The Hill City." Lynchburg was the only major city in...
, where he continued to work and develop skills with new media, especially as a forger in iron sculpture.
Museums and Collections
Umaña’s work is represented in the following museums and collections:- Maier Museum of Art, Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, Lynchburg, Virginia
- Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York
- National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
- Museum of Performing Arts, The New York Public Library At Lincoln Center New York, NY
- Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
- Cornell University Art Museum, Ithaca, New York
- Birmingham Public Library, Birmingham, Alabama
- Cincinnati Public Library, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Butler Library, Columbia University, New York New York
- Dallas Public Library, Dallas, Texas
- Detroit Public Library, Detroit Michigan
- Houghton Library, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey
- New York Public Library, New York, New York
- Philadelphia Public Library, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- State University of New York, New Paltz, New York.
- Library, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Humanities Resource Center, University of Texas, Austin, Texas
- Georgetown University Washington, DC.