Mario Mollari was born in Buenos, Argentina in 1930. With an innate gift for the arts, he would become a self-taught master. He had no formal training in the arts, but his travels and curiosity allowed him to develop immense cultural capital; cultivating a deep understanding of the great Mexican muralists and the European master innovators of modernity.
A trip to Europe in 1953 proved to be a milestone in Mollari’s life, as it led him to conclude that Argentina lacked a personal voice in the world of fine art. From that point forward, he was dedicated to creating a cultural identity that belonged solely to his native country. Years later, Mollari began exhibiting with Ricardo Carpani and Juan Manuel Sanchez because they too shared a similar vision for Argentina’s cultural landscape. These men would form the foundation of the Spartacus Movement. During the 1950s, Mollari frequented the plains of Bolivia and Peru and familiarized himself with the local native populations, who became some of the most important influences on his art. Throughout Mollari’s work, these natives are frequently present as stoic figures, their anguish, exploitation, and deadly fatigue portrayed with outstretched, aching muscles and distorted features. Mollari passed away in Buenos Aires, Argentina at the age of 80, leaving behind a remarkable legacy – he earned several prestigious awards over the course of his career. His works are displayed in the Museum of Modern Art in Buenos Aires, the Municipal Museum of Fine Arts in Mar del Plata, the Museum of Santa Fe “Rosa Galisteo de Rodriquez,” the Museum of Fine Arts in Tres Arroyos, the Museum of Curuzu Cuatia Corrientes, the Municipal Museum of Fine Arts in Tandil, the Provincial Museum of Fine Arts of Parana, the National Museum of Fine Arts in Chivilcoy, the Museum of Fine Arts in Santa Fe Galvez and the Latin American Institute of Austria. His art has resided in various important private collections both in Argentina and across the globe, including that of Henry Kissinger. |