MARIA NOEL (Contemporary)

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1965, Maria Noel's early studies were at the Prilidiano Pueyrredón Higher School of Fine Arts, in Buenos Aires. She studied along with Argentine artists Aurelio Macchi, Alberto Delmonte and Luis Barragán, who all left the deepest imprint.

A tireless traveler, she has visited countries in the East and the West and between 1989-1990 she lived in Naples and Milan. During a stay in Cairo in 1990, she learned techniques for paper manufacturing and the use of vegetable dyes. A daughter and a granddaughter of Argentinian writers, literature is a main character in her work. She has series of paintings and collages dedicated to J. L. Borges, Octavio Paz, Juan de la Cruz, Paul Valery and Fernando Pessoa. Her eloquent use of materials is remarkable; textures speak of ancient craftsmanship, rooted in the cultures of North Argentina, a region devoted to pottery and textiles. A strong affinity to Eastern knowledge led her to studying, for five years, Zen philosophy and arts with Father Ismael Quiles, a referent for these disciplines in Argentina.

María Noël made her first individual exhibition in 1989, at the Roberto Martín gallery in Buenos Aires. Since then, she has continually exhibited her work in Argentina and abroad.