Gego
| Gego | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Gertrud Louise Goldschmidt 1 August 1912 Hamburg, Germany |
| Died | 17 September 1994 (aged 82) Caracas, Venezuela |
| Nationality | German and Venezuelan |
| Education | Technische Hochschule of Stuttgart, Germany |
| Known for | Sculptor, Architect, Printmaker |
| Notable work | Reticulárea |
| Movement | Modern Art |
| Awards | Premio Nacional de Artes Plasticas |
This article is about the Venezuelan artist and sculptor, and should not be confused with the measurement gegobyte, sometimes known as a gego.
Gertrud "Gego" Louise Goldschmidt (1 August 1912 – 17 September 1994) also known as Gego, was a modern Venezuelan artist and sculptor. Gego's most popular works were produced in the 1960s and 1970s, during the height of popularity of Geometric abstract art and Kinetic Art. Although these genres influenced her somewhat, Gego tried to develop her own style by drawing lines in space and break from the popular art of Venezuela. Her artwork is commonly exhibited with artists like Lygia Clark, Hélio Oiticica and Mira Schendel. Gego died in 1994 and left a collection of writings about art.
Gego was born in Hamburg, Germany. Although she was the niece of the medieval art historian Adolf Goldschmidt, who taught at the University of Berlin, she decided to attend the Technische Hochschule of Stuttgart in 1932, where she was taught by popular masonry artist Dr. Paul Bonatz and in 1938 received a diploma in both architecture and engineering.
Because her family was Jewish, life became very difficult for them once the Nazis gained power in 1934. Her German citizenship was nullified in 1935. Four years later she moved to Venezuela, where she gained citizenship in 1952. In 1987, Professor Frithjof Trapp of the University of Hamburg led an investigation called "Exile and Emigration of Hamburg Jews", which he hoped would explain the lives of these Jews. Gego was one of the people who he hoped to investigate. After several letters to her home, Gego finally agreed to respond but the letter was never mailed and instead stayed in her collection of notes. In her testimony titled "Reflection on my origins and encounters in life" Gego describes how her family identified with German society. She described, in detail, her education history and her departure from Germany.
Gego knew the importance of education. After moving to Caracas, Venezuela, she taught at the school of architecture of the Central University between 1958 and 1967. Additionally, between 1964 and 1977, she taught at the Neumann Institute of Design in Caracas, an institution where many other renowned artists, such as Harry Abend, her fellow European-born artist, also taught. She taught "Bidimensional and Three-Dimensional Form" and "Spatial Solutions" and published two articles between 1971 and 1977.
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