Artists
(Arranged by date of birth)

Ricardo Gomez Campuzano (1893-1981) Landscape painter and portrait artist.
A master painter of classical and figurative art, Gómez Campuzano studied art at the School of Fine Arts of Bogotá and pursued postgraduate studies in Spain. He was a professor and a director of the National School of Fine Arts of Bogotá.
His paintings have been exhibited throughout Colombia, in New York, Los Angeles (United States), and in Seville, (Spain), where he received a Gold Medal. In 1931, he received the first prize at the First Colombian Artists Hall. He was decorated with the Cross of Boyacá.
In 1976, he founded the "Ricardo Gómez Campuzano Cultural Association" in his House Museum.

Santiago Martínez Delgado (1906-1954) – Muralist.
Martinez Delgado was Colombia's most prominent muralist of the mid 20th Century. He also worked on numerous oil paintings, watercolours, and illustrations, which were exhibited in the best museums of Bogotá.
Some of his most outstanding works are the mural of the Elliptic Hall of the National Capitol and the fresco on the ceiling of the Palace of San Carlos in Bogotá.
He was awarded many prizes and honours including the Cross of Boyacá.

Gonzalo Ariza (1912-1995) – Painter.
The foremost landscape painter and muralist, Gonzalo Ariza, studied at the School of Fine Arts of Bogotá. He took specialized courses in Tokyo, Japan, on engraving metal, lithography woodcut, and watercolour painting.
He carried out numerous exhibitions at the National Museum of Colombia, the Luis Angel Arango Library, among other art galleries and exhibition halls. He was the first Colombian to exhibit Colombian paintings and artwork in the city of Tokyo.
In 1985 the government of Japan decorated him with the Kun Holy Zuimosho medal and in 1987 he received the Grand prize ‘Cooperartes' to the life and work of an artist.

Manuel Hernandez – (1928-2014) Painter.
Manuel Hernández' superb abstract works of art have been exhibited in the best museums and galleries in Colombia, Italy, Germany, The United States, Panama , Venezuela and India.
The many awards he received include the Order of Boyacá, conferred by the President of the Republic of Colombia , the Medal of the Colombian Institute of Culture, the Order of the Department of Culture, and the degree Doctor Honoris Causa in Arts by the University of Antioquia.

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Caricaturists and Cartoonists

Gonzalo Garavito, caricaturist and writer. –Amusing Bogota– Click on the image (In Spanish).



Hernán Merino Puerta (1922-1973) – Caricaturist and cartoonist.
He was born in Bogota, but grew up in the city of Manizales where he studied art at the School of Fine Arts and the Institute of Manizales . He subsequently moved to Medellín to finish his studies.
He was a drafting professor at the University of Antioquia and the Bolivariana University. He participated in the famous television program, The Magic Pencil, along with Chapete, Carrizosa and Pepón.
His caricatures and cartoons were published in El Colombiano newspaper of Medellin, El Tiempo and El Espectador newspapers of Bogotá and in the magazine, Semana.
He was censured during the dictatorial regime of Gustavo Rojas Pinilla.
Merino is considered a classic caricaturist, together with Chapete, Osuna and Pepón.

Hernando Turriago Riaño -CHAPETE- (1923-1997) – Caricaturist. and cartoonist.
This exceptional cartoonist studied art and drawing at the School of Fine Arts in Bogota. He started off working with a German firm, filming cartoons and animated movies. However, his brilliant career as a graphic humorist really began during his time with El Tiempo newspaper, where more than 4,000 of his political cartoons were published.
Chapete had a difficult life. He was imprisoned several times during the dictatorship of Gustavo Rojas Pinilla because of his satirical drawings against the regime.
He was involved in the famous television program, The Magic Pencil, and is the author of the book of cartoons, Three phases of the Colombian Life.
He was honoured by the Pan-American Press Society with the Mergenthaler international prize, one of the most coveted prizes in the world of journalism.

Ernesto Franco (1928-2017) – Comic strip cartoonist.
Franco, the great cartoonist from Bogota, was the creator of Copetin, the most popular Colombian comic strip of his time. It was published for 30 years in El Tiempo newspaper, beginning in 1962. His comic strips also appeared in colour in the Sunday Reading section of the same newspaper. They also appeared for three years in the magazine Vea and for one and a half years in El Espectador newspaper.
Copetin depicted a typical street kid from Bogota who hung out with his friends Caracaucho, Miss Universe, Querubina and Bombardina, who were the other main characters.
Copetin was declared the symbol of the Colombian comic strip in homage to his creator.
In his early years, Franco took a drafting course in the United States and began his career working in publicity and creating animated cartoons for television.
After the Copetin strips, Franco started working on hieroglyphics that have been published in the newspapers.

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Art

Gloria Zea (1935-2019). Promoter of art.
She is one of the most important promoters of culture and art nationwide.
Her cultural activities began in 1970 with the foundation of the Museum of Modern Art of Bogota (MAMBO) where she was the director.
She was also the founder of the Opera Company of Bogota.
In 1988 she created a new stage for music, the 'Fundación Teatro Camarín del Carmen', and in 1991 she formed the Colombian New Opera Company.
She promoted the arts through multiple publications.
Gloria Zea was a director of the Colombian Institute of Culture (Colcultura), a producer of cultural programs for television, as well as a member of the International Council of the Museum of Modern Art of New York.

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Theatre

   Víctor Mallarino (1911-1967)
   Narrator of poetry, scriptwriter, director    and actor.
  Mallarino was the best Colombian    narrator of poetry in the 20th Century.
   Many of his poetic interpretations can be heard in well-kept recordings located in several cultural    centers.
He was a scriptwriter, director, and actor of the first Colombian television comedy about local customs called "Home Sweet Home", in which he performed brilliantly in the role of "The worker Otoniel Contreras". The program was transmitted simultaneously on the 'HJCK- El mundo en Bogotá' radio station.
Mallarino was linked to theatre groups and was a promoter of the Dramatic Art School created by Bernardo Romero Lozano.
As a posthumous homage to Mallarino, an important hall at the Colón Theatre in Bogotá was named after him


  Santiago Garcia (1928-2020)
  Director, playwright and actor.
  One of the great masters of
  Latin- American theatre, Santiago   Garcia, is an architect who studied 
  dramatic art in the Czech Republic,
France and New York.
He was a cofounder of 'Casa de la Cultura' (now known as La Candelaria Theatre) and a founder of the Pedagogical Team of Latin America and the Caribbean International School of Theatre.
Some of his productions are El Triciclo, El Cadáver Cercado, and La Orestíada.
He is the author and director of plays such as the El Diálogo del Rebusque, La Trifulca, and El Quijote.
He has received numerous rewards, among them, the Prize Ollantay, conferred by the Latin-American Centre of Creation and Theatrical Investigation and the Orden de Caballero, awarded by the Senate of the Republic. He received the title of Doctor Honoris Cause of the National University of Colombia.
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Other Actors Born in Bogota (In Spanish)

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Fashion Designers

Pepa Pombo – Fashion designer.
The clothing designs of this acclaimed fashion artist are known for their hand-embroidered textiles and their elegance.
She is the owner of two boutiques in Colombia, one in Mexico and twelve in the United States. Her collections have been exhibited in several international fashion shows.
In 2002, the artist handed over the design of her Pepa Pombo line of clothing to her daughter, Mónica Holguin.
She has received great international recognition.

Amelia Toro
The prestigious fashion designer Amelia Toro took specialized courses at Parsons School of Design of New York. She has worked in both Italy and Sri Lanka.
Toro has a fashion boutique in Bogota and she exports her designs to countries around the world.
In recent years, her leisurewear collections have had extraordinary success. She was born in 1960.

Esteban Cortazar
Cortázar is considered a 'prodigy' designer, who at the age of 15 debuted at International Fashion Week in Miami along with famous designers like Oscar de la Renta and Carolina Herrera.
He was only 18 years old when he presented his collection at New York Fashion Week, earning the title of the youngest designer ever to do so.
Cortázar has opened the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Los Angeles, has appeared in the magazines "Elle" and "W", and was a finalist of the "New Stars 2004 Prize” of the "Fashion Group International". He also has been chosen to dress celebrities such as Eva Longoria, Beyonce Knowles, and Paris Hilton. At present, he is the women's wear head designer for the French Emanuel Ungaro Haute Couture House. The designer was born in 1985.