Last Updated on October 3, 2023 by Andrew

If you are a sucker for Columbian culture and are interested in painting and sculptures, we are sure you must have heard about Ana Mercedes Hoyos! A passionate artist from Columbia has done a lot of work in deep connection to her culture. Her dedication to preserving and celebrating its rich heritage was impeccable.

Her Early Life 

Ana Mercedes Hoyos was born on September 29, 1942, in Bogota, Colombia. Her dad, Manuel José Hoyos Toro, was an architectural engineer and really liked art history, so he encouraged Ana to learn about art history. 

Academics

Ana did her primary and secondary schooling at Colegio Marymount in Bogota and took private painting lessons from an artist named Luciano Jaramillo. Along with school studies, she went to various places like Europe, Mexico, and the United States to learn about art and Columbian culture. After completing her schooling, Ana studied visual arts at the University of the Andes with Luciano Jaramillo, Juan Antonio Roda, Marta Traba, and Armando Villegas. But didn’t finish her studies. In 2000, she was honored with an honorary postgraduate degree in visual arts from the University of Antioquia in Medellín. 

Personal Life

In 1967, she married Jacques Mosseri Hané, an architect, and spent a month in New York City, where they explored lots of interesting art, especially Pop Art. Later, in 1969, Ana and Jacques had a daughter named Ana.

Beginning of her Career 

In 1961, Ana Mercedes Hoyos started her career as a teacher and spent the first five years at the University of the Andes. In 1966, she took a significant step by publicly showcasing her artwork and was quickly recognized when she received the 2nd award at the Young Painter Biennial held at the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Bogota in 1967.

Awards and Accolades 

Ana Mercedes Hoyos’s artistic talent earned her over seventeen prestigious awards and accolades throughout her career.

• In 1967, she also won first place in the “Environmental Spaces” exhibition at the Bogotá Museum of Modern Art.
• Ana Mercedes Hoyos began her artistic journey in the late 1960s when she started creating Pop Art pieces. She received the Caracas Prize at the 22nd Salon of National Artists in 1971 for her Ventanas collection’s first ten paintings.
• In 1992, the Japan Foundation invited Ana Mercedes Hoyos to participate in a cultural exchange program between artists. The Yoshii Gallery in New York City displayed her artwork related to Palenque the following year.
• In 2000, she received an invitation from President Bill Clinton to attend the White House conference on “Culture and Diplomacy.” This year, she was also granted an honorary master’s degree in visual arts by the University of Antioquia in Medellín.
• A touring exhibition spanned 36 years and included pieces featuring Ana Mercedes Hoyos’s work from various series, including Ventanas, Atmósferas, still life, homage, and Colombian negritude, traveled to Mexico from November 2004 to March 2005 before continuing to Colombia in the summer. 
• In February 2014, her sculptures were rarely seen by the public and exhibited at the Nueveochenta Gallery’s “Tres D (3-D)” exhibition. These sculptures explored themes consistent with her paintings and artistic style.

List of Museums Featuring Her Permanent Collection

• The Bogotá Museum
• The Museum of Modern Art in Mexico 
• Lbarcaza Collection in Zaragoza, Spain, Rosslyn Harbour, 
• The Nassau County Museum of Art in NYC
• The Fuji Art Museum in Tokyo

Death and Legacy 

At the age of 71 years, after a brief illness, Ana Mercedes Hoyos passed away at the Clínica Fundación Santa Fe in the Colombian capital on September 5, 2014. Her cause of death is natural.

Before her passing in July 2014, Ana Mercedes Hoyos arranged to donate her collection of Palenque-related artifacts. These artifacts were distributed, with a significant portion going to the United Nations University in Tokyo and a smaller portion allocated to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution, renowned for its collection of African-American history.