Her only sculpture. The sketch in aluminum painted with acrylic reached her granddaughter, María Torcello, who brought it to scale, seeking to faithfully reproduce its colors and brushstrokes.
Josefina Robirosa
Josefina Robirosa (1932-2022) was an Argentine painter, draughtswoman and muralist, regarded as one of the most outstanding women in Argentine painting. She created a unique visual language of organic forms, lines, shadows, light, dreamlike worlds and a deeply expressive use of color.
1 / 3
The Contemplating WomanJosefina Robirosa · 2025 · Aluminum and acrylic paint · SculptureMade at scale by her granddaughter, María Torcello, from the original sketch →
Her only sculpture. The sketch in aluminum painted with acrylic reached her granddaughter, María Torcello, who brought it to scale, seeking to faithfully reproduce its colors and brushstrokes.
Works at Bellatrix
Biography
She belonged to a generation that renewed the local art scene, where she was one of the few women to take a leading role, and she was part of the group at the Instituto Di Tella.
Her works are held in the collections of the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, the Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires, the Museo Genaro Pérez (Córdoba) and the Museo de Tres Arroyos (Buenos Aires Province); in the ITT Collection in New York, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo and the Neiman Marcus and Chase Manhattan collections in the United States, and in the Thyssen collection in Switzerland.
She was director of the National Endowment for the Arts (Fondo Nacional de las Artes) for eight years and a member of the National Academy of Fine Arts. In 2010 she was named Illustrious Citizen of the City of Buenos Aires.
Ediciones Vasari published the book Josefina Robirosa, an in-depth study of her work and the different stages of her long career.
Awards and honors
- Konex Award, Special Mention for Lifetime Achievement in Visual Arts (2012)
- Second Prize in Painting, National Salon of Visual Arts (2001)
- Codees Prize for Latin American Painting
- Second Prize, National Salon of Fine Arts (1967)
- Illustrious Citizen of the City of Buenos Aires (2010)
Solo exhibitions
- 1957 · First solo exhibition, Galería Bonino (Buenos Aires), which marked the formal start of her career.
- 1964 · Exhibition of tapestries at the Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires, with original pieces woven in the Aubusson technique.
- 1987 · Exhibition at Ruth Benzacar, curated by the critic Jorge López Anaya; one of her most celebrated shows of the 1980s.
- 2002 · Exhibition at the Sala Cronopios, Centro Cultural Recoleta (Buenos Aires).
- Retrospective at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Buenos Aires).
Sculptor and granddaughter of Josefina Robirosa
In the words of María Torcello
“Sit quietly, doing nothing, spring comes and the grass grows by itself.” Zen proverb.
Josefina Robirosa (1932-2022) was an Argentine painter, draughtswoman and muralist, regarded as one of the most outstanding women in Argentine painting. She was also my grandmother.
Through Andrés and Canela Von Buch, art lovers and collectors, a sketch made in aluminum and painted with acrylic came into my hands: the model for what was her only sculpture. With great love, respect and admiration for her work and for who she was, they asked me, as her granddaughter and a sculptor, to make the piece at scale so it could be shared with the world, and in some way to keep celebrating her life through her art.
Working on it was, without a doubt, an act full of emotion, a very special exchange of energy. Giving the sculpture its form was not difficult, since that is my ground, but working with her colors and brushstrokes, trying to faithfully reflect her marks, was a great challenge. That is where I found her. Without enough knowledge, but trusting her sure guidance and my deep memories of watching her paint in her studio for as long as I can remember, I found her spirit, her soul. Working on different planes of existence and allowing myself to feel that loving presence that lights and guides every step, I made this work.
The work came to me without a title, but if I had to give it one, it would be “The Contemplating Woman”, in honor of her existence, her way of living and sharing her passion, her contemplation, a state that defined her from head to toe. She used to draw herself with her long, thin fingers and a hammock across her forehead, smiling, surrendered to life, a picture of a state of peace, serenity and surrender. Fascinated by every aspect of the nature around us, she was moved by every leaf, every bud, by the magical shapes and patterns of a tomato cut in half, and she was just as fascinated by the feeling of her energy flowing through her whole body, all the way down to her little toe.
To celebrate her life, to celebrate her art, to celebrate the bonds of love, and to share it with the world so her energy keeps flowing, with infinite gratitude to all the people who make it possible.
Thank you, Andrés and Canela Von Buch, for treasuring this model and for promoting and funding this work; and Betina Kühlcke and Cristian Schaefer, for welcoming it to Bellatrix, where it will be surrounded by nature and art, and where we will be able to feel, contemplate and let ourselves be guided by its energy. Thank you, Api (Josefina Robirosa), for your presence.