It is with great satisfaction that we present this book on the great Peruvian artist Macedonio de la Torre Collard, considered amongst the most original and notable painters of XXth century Peru. One of the most significant contributions of this publication lies in its diffusion of artworks currently in the hands of private collectors, including, in some cases, family members or friends of the artist. As a result of his unique and generous personality, and a life integrally dedicated to art, Macedonio was able to keep his distance from commercial interests; as such, much of his work was acquired by individuals who, thanks to their knowledge of the evolution of modern art, had accurately predicted the future value of the artist’s work.
Amongst these collectors, we find families from Lima, Trujillo and abroad that possessed enough sensitivity to appreciate the quality of this painter´s work. Macedonio´s trajectory spans much of the last century from the 1920´s to the 1970´s. This explains why the majority of his art is in the hands of a relatively limited circle that includes the Rockefeller family of the United States. In light of this, one of the purposes of this book is to allow the reader to better understand the cosmopolitan and modern dimension of the artist’s work for its time. Indisputably, Macedonio´s artistry was influenced by the years he spent in Europe between wars. During this same period, the artist frequented notable representatives of XXth century art such as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Tsuguharu Foujita and brought reformist currents to Peru in a period still dominated by indigenous tendencies that advocated autarchic artistic limits.
This universal and global vision of painting was enriched by his French and German teachers and by his intensive experience in the Old World. Macedonio was an authentic innovator before the drive for globalization. The importance of his work led Luis Enrique Tord, a famous Peruvian writer and intellectual, to begin this book project ten years ago. After a thorough investigation of the life and work of the artist, which included both travel and persuasive negotiation processes to collect a selection of works found in private hands, this book has finally reached its culmination.
No less interesting than Macedonio´s biography and work are the testimonies to the personality of this extraordinary human being and artist from Trujillo, recorded on these pages in articles penned by illustrious personalities such as the great poet César Vallejo and painter and critic Juan Manuel Ugarte Eléspuru amongst others. This magnificent book by Luis Enrique Tord is the first systemized compilation of Macedonio´s work. We believe that the intellectual community and the public in general will come to better understand Macedonio de la Torre, a truly universal Peruvian, through this pioneering effort.
Diego de la Torre de la Piedra
Lima, September de 2004