Lola Mora

*1867 ✝1936 | Argentinien

Dolores Mora, undoubtedly the best-known woman artist in Argentine art history, was born in the province of Tucumán in 1867. From an affluent background, she started drawing lessons from an early age. Later, L. Mora took private painting lessons with an Italian artist, Santiago Falcucci (1857-1922). In 1894 the Sociedad de Beneficencia, a local charity, organized an art show to commemorate Argentine Independence Day. She exhibited over twenty large charcoal portraits of the governors of her home province. Politicians, members of the elite, and the press admired the detailed drawings, fine examples of her academic art training. It was a rather bold move, for the other young women who exhibited works decided to present less ambitious pieces. In 1895 L. Mora formally requested a two-year travel grant to study in Europe, which she was awarded. She moved to Rome and started to work under the direction of Francesco Michetti (1851-1929) and Costantino Barbella (1853-1925). She turned to sculpture some time later, studying under the direction of academic artist Giulio Monteverde (1837-1917). She soon had her own atelier in Rome and became a successful artist, receiving important commissions from the Argentinian government. Like many female sculptors of her era, L. Mora benefited from the fascination provoked by the seemingly improbable association of women and sculpture.