A leading Peruvian artist, Ernesto Gutierrez, was born in Lima, Peru, in 1941. His father was a Spaniard and his mother was a descendant of the Inca. Upon completion of his high school education, Gutierrez entered the School of Fine Arts in Lima, Peru, he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in 1964 and was awarded a Gold Medal. Sponsored by the Brazilian government, Gutierrez received the Itamarti Scholarship and studied for two years (1966-67) at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro while extensively exhibiting his works throughout the art centers of South America: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Cordova, Santiago de Chile, and Lima, among others. In 1971, Gutierrez was granted a Fulbright Scholarship and studied at the University of Wisconsin where he received a Master of Fine Arts Degree in 1974.

Gutierrez has been influenced by both local and global artistic factors: pre-Columbian forms and native-popular Peruvian art and also by modern French masters such as Cezanne, Gaugin, and to some extent, Matisse. The boldness of Gutierrez's colors creates an almost sensual excitement: shocking pink, chartreuse, mauve, and the whole gamut of blues, purples, and greens, often underlined and emphasized by complementary colors. In some of his paintings, Gutierrez assumes a cubist-realist simplification of forms and volumes and a precise rendering of surfaces. Gutierrez's sensibility strikes the viewer as essentially Spanish, while his inspiration derives from his Inca heritage, Peruvian landscapes, and folklore.

Education:
School of Fine Arts, Lima, Peru. BFA 1964. Awarded Gold Medal.
Museum of Modern Art of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 1966-67, sponsored by the Brazilian Government Itamarati.
The University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. MFA 1974, sponsored by Fulbright Scholarship.

Exhibits
Art Center Galleries, Lima, Peru. 1964.
“Young Peruvian Artists,” Institute of Contemporary Art, 1965-66, Lima, Peru.
Morada Galleries, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1966.
“Bienal de Grabado,” Cordova, Argentina, 1966.
“Salon Nacional de Grabado,” Sao Paulo, Brazil, 1966.
“Bienal de Grabado,” Santiago de Chile, 1968.
“Salon Fundacion para las Artes,” National Museum of Peru, Lima Peru 1968.
Carrol Condit Galleries, New York, 1971, 74.
“25 Peruvian Artists” Lima, Peru, 1972.
“U.W.M. Contest” University of Wisconsin; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1973.
“Mini Art Show” Bradley Galleries; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1974, 75, 76, 77.
DeLigny Art Galleries; Fort Lauderdale, Florida 1981
Vanidades Gallery, Virginia Gardens, Florida 1993.
Madelyn Jordon Fine Art, Scarsdale, New York 1993-2001.
David Barnett Galleries, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1983, 84, 85, 86, 87, 99, 2000.
“David Barnett Gallery Collection of Ernesto Gutierrez Paintings” United Community Center; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 2003 Latino Arts Inc; Milwaukee Wisconsin, 2003 Awards First Prize of Painting, “Instituto Peruano Norteamericano” Lima, Peru, 1963. First Prize of Painting, “Municipalidad de Lima” Lima, Peru, 1963. First Prize of Printmaking, “Salon Fundacion para las Artes” National Museum of Peru, 1967. First Prize of Printmaking, “U.W.M. Contest” University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1973. Second Prize of Painting, “City of Lima” Lima, Peru, 1964.