Venezuelan painter, sculptor, administrator, and writer, regarded as one of his country’s leading artists. He was born at El Manteco, Bolivar State, and studied painting, sculpture, and stained glass at the School of Fine and Applied Arts, Caracas, 1939–45. On graduation he was awarded a government grant that enabled him to visit Paris. His early work had been influenced by Cézanne and Cubism, and in Paris he moved to complete abstraction; the transition can be seen in his Cafetera (Coffee-pot) series.