Overview
- Juan Carlos Distéfano died Saturday at age 92, a fact confirmed by curator María Teresa Constantin, and his remains will be velated at Malabia 1662 starting the night of his death.
- He began as a graphic designer and led the Instituto Torcuato Di Tella’s graphic design department in the 1960s before turning to sculpture full time in the 1970s.
- Distéfano developed a signature use of polyester and epoxy resin that let him build layered, translucent figures that critics and peers say give voice to torture, disappearance and other abuses.
- His work earned major honors and shows, including Konex prizes, the 2018 Premio Nacional a la Trayectoria, a 2015 pavilion at the Venice Biennale, and the MNBA retrospective La memoria residual in 2022.
- Artists, curators and museum directors have paid immediate tribute, noting that his technical innovations and focus on historical memory shaped younger sculptors and Argentina’s institutional collections.