Norma Bessouet

Norma Bessouet was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In her childhood and adolescence, she acquired the basic elements of painting and drawing from her mother.

She completed her artistic education at the Argentinean fine arts schools Manuel Belgrano and Prilidiano Pueyrredon. At the academy, Bessouet studied under Jorge Krasnopolsky, Ideal Sánchez, and Aída Carballo.

In 1972 she traveled to London, where she received a grant from the British Council to study graphic arts at London University's Slade School of Fine Arts.

Bessouet returned to Buenos Aires in 1973, but in 1974 she decided to go back to Europe, establishing herself first in Florence, Italy, before moving to Barcelona, Spain, where she remained from 1976 to 1981.

Since that time, she has lived and worked in New York and Buenos Aires.

Education

1981: Teacher's College, Columbia University New York. (Sculpture)
1973: The Slade School of Fine Arts, University College London, England. (Printmaking)
1967: Master of Fine Arts, Academia de Artes Visuales Prilidiano Pueyrredon, Buenos Aires.
1964: B. A. Escuela de Bellas Artes Manuel Belgrano, Buenos Aires.

Solo Exhibitions

2002: India, Arden Gallery, Boston, Massachuset.
1999: Norma Bessouet: Obra 1989 - 1999, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Buenos Aires.
1997: Memories and Dreams, Arden Gallery, Boston, Massachuset.
1995: The World of Anna, Fundación Previsora Galería, Caracas, Venezuela.
1992: The World of Anna, Arden Gallery, Boston, Massachuset.
1991: Norma Bessouet, Pindar Gallery, New York.
1989: Selvaggia and Uccello, Arden Gallery, Boston Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachuset.
1988: Selvaggia and Uccello, Salas Nacionales, Palais de Glace, Buenos Aires.
1987: Selvaggia and Uccello, Museo do Arte do Sao Paulo, Aussis Chateaubrian, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
1986: Norma Bessouet, Terne Gallery, New York.
1983: Figures and Silences, Ivonne Seguy Gallery, New York.
1978: El Ojo de La Melancolía, Museo de Bellas Artes, Caracas, Venezuela.
1977: Norma Bessouet, Old Home Gallery, Madrid, Spain.
1975: Norma Bessouet, Old Home Gallery, Madrid, Spain.
1974: Norma Bessouet, D'Eend TV Gallery, Amsterdam, Holland.
1969: Levitantes, Galería El Erizo Incandescente, Buenos Aires.
1969: Norma Bessouet, Galería Arte Moderno, Córdoba, Argentina.
1969: Norma Bessouet, Galería Altamira, Mar del Plata, Argentina.
1967: Norma Bessouet, Galería Ismos, Buenos Aires.
1966: Norma Bessouet, Galería Pro Art, Buenos Aires.

Grants and Awards

2001: Fifth Prize Biennale Internazionale dell Arte Contemporanea, Firenze, Italy.
1999: The Pollock - Krassner Foundation, New York. (Grant)
1992: Traveling Grant from The Hilwood Art Museum, Brooksville, New York.
1991: The Pollock - Krassner Foundation, New York. (Grant)
1989: The Pollock - Krassner Foundation, New York. (Grant)
1989: Award of Excellence, National Works on Paper Competition, Nassau Community College, New York. (Drawing)
1986: Edition Purchase Award, Carton de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela.
1984: Ralph Fabrie Award, National Academy of Design, New York. (Drawing)
1983: Honorable Mention, Biennial International de Dibujo, Maldonado, Uruguay.
1980: Honorable Mention, Biennial Puerto Príncipe, Málaga, Spain. (Painting)
1975: First Prize, Purchase Award, V Biennal Internacional del Deporte en las Bellas Artes, Barcelona, Spain. (Drawing)
1971: Grand Prize of Honor, Salón Nacional, Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Drawing)
1971: Honorable Mention and Purchase Prize, Salón Nacional de Tucuman, Argentina. (Painting)
1970: First Prize, Salón Nacional, Buenos Aires. (Drawing)
1970: Purchase Award, First Prize, Salón Nacional de Tucuman, Argentina. (Drawing)
1969: Second Prize, Salón Sha, Sociedad Hebraica, Buenos Aires. (Drawing)
1968: First Honorable Mention, Subsecretaria de Cultura del Ministerio de Educación, Salón Dorado, La Plata, Argentina. (Painting)
1967: Purchase Award, Ministerio de Obras Publicas, Salón Primavera, La Plata, Argentina. (Painting)
1967: Purchase Award First Prize, Salón Municipal de Lanus, Dirección de Cultura, Buenos Aires. (Painting)
1967: Purchase Award, First Prize, Salón Moreno, Comisión de Cultura del Magisterio, Buenos Aires. (Painting)
1967: Third Prize, Sociedad Estimulo de Bellas Artes, Ramos Mejia, Buenos Aires. (Painting)

Fellowships

1981: The Spanish and North American Committee, Madrid, Spain. (Sculptures Techniques) New York, Columbia University.
1980: Nuevas Formas Expresivas, Ministerio de Cultura, Madrid, Sculpture Teacher's College, Columbia University, New York.
1972: The British Council of London, The Slade School of Fine Arts, University College London, 1972 - 1973.
1967: Fondo Nacional de las Artes, Buenos Aires.

Selected Group Exhibitions

2000: Downey Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
2000: Colgate University, Hamilton, New York.
1997: V Salón de Dibujo Santo Domingo, Museo de Arte Moderno, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
1996: 10 Escritores, 10 Pintores, Museo Sivori, Buenos Aires.
1995: Reaffirming Spirituality, Museo del Barrio, New York.
1994: Quinta Biennal de la Havana, Havana, Cuba.
1993: Women Artists in Latin America, America's Gallery, New York.
1993: Camino Brent Gallery, Miami Art Fair, Miami, Florida.
1993: Pets: Artists and an American Obsession, Charles Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, Wisconsin.
1992: Discovery, Artspace New Haven, Connecticut.
1992: Americas Gallery, New York.
1992: Javier Lumbreras Fine Art, Coral Gables, Florida.
1992: El Rastro en el Rostro, Salas Nacionales, Buenos Aires.
1991: Latin America Drawing Today, San Diego Museum of Fine Arts, San Diego, Drawings, Iturralde Gallery, La Jolla, California.
1991: Obras, The Tallahasse Gallery, Tallahasse, Florida.
1991: Works on Paper, Iturralde Gallery, Los Angeles, California.
1990: The Awakening, Discovery Museum, Bridgeport, Connecticut.
1989: Ideas and Images From Argentina, The Bronx Museum, New York.
1989: Argentinshe Kulturwochen - Prints - Dusseldorf (Weiterbildungszentrum), Germany.
1988: Up Tiempo, Playing is a Serious Matter, Museo del Barrio, New York.
1988: Paper Vision II, Housatonic Museum of Art, Housatonic, Massachuset.
1987: AGPA 1986, Museo de Arte Contemporaneo, Caracas, Venezuela.
1987: Woman by Woman, Aleman Gallery, Boston, Massachuset.
1987: Work on Paper, Museo Maldonado, Maldonado, Uruguay.
1986: Flight of Fantasy, The Museum of the City of New York.
1986: Segunda Biennial de La Havana, La Havana, Cuba.
1985: The Enchanted Doll, Eclipse Gallery, New York.
1984: 159th Annual Exhibition, National Academy of New York.
1983: International Drawing Biennial, Maldonado, Uruguay.
1982: Women of The Americas, Center for Inter American Relations and Kouros Gallery, New York.
1982: Grandes Premios de Honor Salon Nacional, Palais Glace, Buenos Aires.
1980: Biennial Puerto Principe, Malaga, Spain.
1980: Crescendo, The Music Show, Francis Kyle Gallery, London, England.
1980: A Woman's View, Edward Totah Gallery, London, England.
1980: The Body, Angela Flowers Gallery, London, England.
1979: International Drawing Biennial, Cleveland Fourth, England.
1977: Realidad Española, Kandindsky Gallery, Madrid, Spain.
1977: Biennal Internacional Joan Miro, Barcelona, Spain.
1977: Biennal Internacional Anglada, Guillot, Barcelona, Spain.
1973: Five Argentinians in Stockholm, Grafikthusset Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden.

Public Collections

Museo de Bellas Artes, Caracas, Venezuela.
Gabinet des Estampes, Bibliotheque Nationale de Paris.
Oxford University, St Cross College, England.
London University, Slade School of the Arts.
O.E.A. Washington, DC.
El Banco Internacional del Desarrollo, Washington, DC.
Philadelphia University, Print Collection.
Museo de Arte Contemporaneo, Caracas, Venezuela.
Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Biblioteca Nacional, Caracas, Venezuela.
T.A.G.A. Taller de Artes Graficas, Caracas, Venezuela.
Museo de Arte Americano de Maldonado, Uruguay.
Salas Nacionales, Buenos Aires.
Museo Municipal de Bellas Artes, La Plata, Argentina.
Museo de Bellas Artes, San Migual de Tucuman, Argentina.
Ministerio de Cultura, La Plata, Argentina.
Museo del Grabado, Buenos Aires.
Smurfit Foundation, Caracas, Venezuela.

Miscellaneous

2002: Residence at Sanskriti Pratishthan, New Delhi, India.
2001: Book cover for Liliana Heker, La Crueldad de la Vida, Editorial Alfaguara.
2000: Book cover for Alicia Steimberg, La Selva, Editorial Alfaguara.
1997: Drawings for Long Time Since, a film by Jay Anania, New York.
1994: Book cover for Mircea Eliade, Monte Avila Editores.
1992: Book cover for Elizabeth Searle, Iowa Press, Iowa City.