Within the framework of the XIV BCRA National Painting Award, Sara Facio—photographer, journalist and editor—received the Great Prize for Distinguished Artists.
The Governor of the BCRA, Miguel Ángel Pesce, highlighted the artist’s contribution towards our culture and identity and added: “Sara’s career is defined by innovation and excellence. Her works are of significant influence for the new generations of artists. We are proud that one of her works is part of the BCRA’s collection.”
The photograph that is now part of the BCRA’s collection is Los muchachos peronistas (The Peronist Boys), taken in 1974.
At the ceremony, Jorge Carrera, Alternate Deputy Governor; and Claudio Golonbek, Betina Stein, and Claudia Berger, all Members of the Board, participated in the award ceremony of the 2021 BCRA National Painting Award.
In this edition, more than 1,100 artists took part in the contest. The jury was composed of Virginia Agote, Pilar Altilio, Melina Berkenwald, Eduardo Médici, and Sebastián Vidal Mackinson; with Rodrigo Alonso as curator.
Artists older than 35 years of age
First Prize: Magdalena Jitrik, El acuerdo (The Agreement)
Second Prize: Agustín Sirai, Las vistas de Methfessel (The Sights of Methfessel)
Third Prize: Carla Grunauer, Josu
Honorable Distinction: Carmen del Valle Moyano, Con ojos de pájaro (With Bird’s Eyes)
Honorable Distinction: Luciano Burba, Sin título (Untitled)
Artists younger than 35 years of age
First Prize: Alfredo Dufour, 1999
Second Prize: María Emilia Hendreich, Autorretrato (Self-portrait)
Third Prize: Sasha Minovich, Atardecer en campos de zona oeste (Sunset in Western Sector Fields)
Sara Facio’s work Los muchachos peronistas (The Peronist Boys) and the winning works of this edition of the BCRA National Painting Award are exhibited on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 12 noon to 4 pm, at the Museum of the BCRA, San Martín 216. Free admission. Limited capacity.
Sara Facio, Great Prize for Distinguished Painters
She graduated from Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes in 1953. She received a scholarship from the government of France to study visual arts. In the 1960s she began her photographic apprenticeship in professional workshops in Argentina, France, and Italy, and became an assistant to Annemarie Heinrich.
Sara Facio, together with other artists, founded the Argentine Council of Photography in 1979 and created the Photo Gallery of Teatro San Martín in 1985, where more than 160 exhibitions and catalogs were displayed. She also took part in the creation of the National Museum of Fine Arts’ Photographic Collection, national heritage, and acted as curator between 1995 and 2010.
She specialized in portraits, social rehearsals, and graphic and print journalism. She also worked for newspapers and magazines from Argentina, the Americas and Europe. Moreover, she received numerous awards in several disciplines, such as the 1992 Platinum Konex Prize to the Photographic Personality of the 1980/1990 decade. Her works were exhibited in museums of Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, United States, France, England, Italy, and the Netherlands.
In this sense, recognized pictures of other artists, such as Julio Cortázar, Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriel García Márquez, Pablo Neruda, and María Elena Walsh, are Facio’s unmistakably iconic works that travel around the world.
Los muchachos peronistas
The photograph Los muchachos peronistas (The Peronist Boys) is part of the series Funerales del presidente Perón (Funerals of President Peron) taken in 1974 for the graphic media. The series gathers two characteristics of Facio’s work: the testimonial record and the portrait. All these photographs show Sara’s unique perspective on this historical event, showing the human dimension of the event with persons that challenge the camera or anonymous gestures that expose their feelings.
From now on, Los muchachos peronistas (The Peronist Boys) enriches the BCRA´s collection, along with other works of outstanding artists.
This collection, which is part of Argentina’s artistic heritage, stands for our cultural and social identity.
