LAVIE Contemporary Fine Art Artist
AT THE HEART OF ARTEV
Passionate about contemporary fine art, I created ARTEV to share my knowledge, my stories, and, most importantly, to celebrate the rediscovery of the unique art of my mother, Maria Elena Lavie.
As Professor Gaston Diehl wrote in his book Maria Elena Lavie (ISBN 980-147-0):
“A potent impulse seems to breathe life…powerful vitality.”
My mother’s artistic journey was one of unyielding passion and authenticity.
Through ARTEV, I hope to bring this vision to life and invite others to experience the depth, energy, and brilliance of Lavie’s work.
THE ARTIST HERSELF ONCE SAID
“An artist is born like a rare plant-one that must be nurtured and deeply felt in order to truly flourish.“
Through ARTEV, I hope tobring this vision to life and invite others to experience the depth, passion, and brilliance of Lavie’s work.
MARIA ELENA LAVIE
LAVIE was born on May 23, 1925, in the small coastal town of Carúpano, Venezuela. She left this world on January 7, 2016. To our family, LAVIE is synonymous with strength, honor, and pride—values we strive to carry forward, reflected in every brushstroke of her art. See Lavie's Artwork
LAVIE'S BIO & STORY
From a young age, LAVIE demonstrated a natural gift for precise and confident strokes-an ability that flourished through her relentless dedication. As critics have noted, her art expresses a unique vocabulary, it embodies a distinct visual language, transforming concepts and experiences into compositions that engage the viewer. She was an artist in constant evolution, ceaselessly exploring creativity.
Every exhibition, every series, and every phase of her career marked a maturation of her style, shaping an artistic identity defined by strength and dynamism. In the 1980s, Venezuelan art critic Perán Erminy observed: “Lavie’s painting is apparently abstract, but at the same time, it appears to have a certain relationship with figurative art, in the sense that it often suggests a specific motif, which later disappears to the point where it is no longer recognizable.”
The heart of her work lies in the dynamic interplay of color and movement on white backgrounds. As Laurence Villand wrote in L’Amateur D’Art (1981): “The spontaneity of her strokes, as well as her chromatic choices, confirm the lively temperament of the artist. The contrast between the whites and the use of bright colors creates a striking intensity.
So LAVIE , the Venezuelan artist, never stops surprising us. Lavie’s remarkable long career was defined by an uncompromising dedication to her craft. Her work is distinguished by a signature style-both structured and expressive-marked by her ability to synthesize form, her sense of space, and movement. The balance of white backgrounds and vibrant compositions reflects her mastery of visual tension, allowing each piece to breathe with a sense of organic harmony.
LAVIE AWARDS AND EXHIBITIONS
LAVIE - AWARDS RECEIVED
1951 – Premio Especial del 12th Salón Oficial de Arte del Museo de Bellas Artes, Caracas. Awarded to the group of works presented by the artist. The most representative ofwhich is “Crisantemos”, private property of the artist’s eldest daughter.
1959 – Premio Popular del Salón Planchart, prize awarded by the public. “Las Barcas Rojas”, Caracas, Venezuela. (Private property of the family collection).
1964 – Selected as “Special Artist” by the Asociación Nacional de Pediatría in Caracas, Venezuela.
1980 – “ТОYOGAFU” Prize, Silver medal and diploma, in the International Festival of Design and Graphic Arts, Osaka, Japan.
1981 – Gold Medal and Diploma in the International Festival of Design and Graphic Arts, Osaka, Japan. (See: «Officiel International
de la Peinture et Sculpture Contemporaines» 1981-1980 – Sélection).
LAVIE – INDIVIDUAL ART EXHIBITIONS
1962 – Galería Acquavella, Caracas
1964 – Galería Acquavella, Caracas, Venezuela
1965 – Galería El Muro, Caracas, Venezuela
1967 – Galería Acquavella, Caracas, Venezuela
1967 – Galería Marcos Castillo, Caracas, Venezuela
1971 – Galería de Arte Moderno, Caracas, Venezuela
1973 – Ateneo de Barcelona, Anzoátegui, Venezuela
1975 – Galería de Arte Moderno, Caracas, Venezuela
1976 – Ateneo de Barcelona, Anzoátegui, Venezuela
1977 – Museo Centro de Bellas Artes, Maracaibo, Venezuela
1979 – Galería Siete Siete, Caracas, Venezuela
1979 – Gallerie Marcel Bernheim, Paris, France
1980 – Galería Venezuela, New York, NY (Venezuelan Consulate)
1981 – Galería Cristóbal Rojas, Paris, France (Venezuelan Embassy)
1982 – Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Francisco Narváez, Porlamar (Margarita Island), Venezuela ● 27 paintings, acrylic on canvas
1983 – Galería Siete Siete, Caracas, Venezuela, Bicentennial of Simón Bolívar’s birth) ● 12 Rostros del Libertador Simón Bolívar), collages, mixed media, different techniques
1984 – FEDECAMARAS Exhibitions Gallery, Caracas, Venezuela ● 22 works. Acrylic on canvas and Collages on paper. “Lo Real Maravilloso” show.
1985 – Galería Siete Siete, Caracas, Venezuela ● 21 Works. Large format acrylics on canvas. Some Collages on paper.
1986 – Private exhibition at Member’s Private Club, Caracas, Venezuela ● 5 paintings. Large format. Acrylic on canvas.
1988 – Galería Siete Siete, Caracas, Venezuela ● Grandes Bodegones. Large format acrylic on canvas
1989 – Galería Siete Siete, Caracas, Venezuela ● Grandes Flores. Large format, acrylic on canvas
1991 – Galería Venezuela, New York, NY (Venezuelan Consulate)
1993 – Galería BASS, Caracas, Venezuela
1996 – Banco Consolidado (Exhibition Hall) Caracas, Venezuela, Art show and presentation of publication titled “María Elena Lavie” by famous French art critic Gaston Diehl, Cultural Ambassador of France to Venezuela from the 1950’s to the 1970’s.
2000 – Galería de Arte Grupo Li, Caracas, Venezuela (Retrospective).
LAVIE – GROUP EXHIBITIONS
1946-1949 – Annual exhibits at the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas, Caracas, Venezuela
1951 – 12th Salón Oficial de Arte del Museo de Bellas Artes, Caracas, Venezuela
1954-1955 – Salón D’Empaire, Maracaibo, Venezuela
1956-1959 – Galería Planchart, Annual Art exhibits sponsored by Armando Planchart, Caracas, Venezuela (1959 – awarded Premio Popular del Salón Planchart).
1962 – Galería Acquavella, Caracas, Venezuela
1964 – Galería Acquavella, Caracas, Venezuela
1965 – Ateneo de Caracas, Selected Artists, Pegasus Contest, sponsored by Mobil Oíl Co. of Venezuela
1967 – Galería El Muro, and Galería Acquavella, Caracas, Venezuela
1967 – Galería de Arte UCV (Universidad Central de Venezuela), Caracas, Venezuela
1967 – Galería Marcos Castillo, Caracas, Venezuela
1968 – Liceo Pedagógico, Caracas, Venezuela
1969 – Liceo Andrés Bello, Caracas, Venezuela
1971-1975 – Galería Arte Moderno, several group shows, Caracas, Venezuela
1976 – Ateneo de Barcelona, Estado Anzoátegui, Venezuela
1977 – Museo Centro de Bellas Artes, Maracaibo, Venezuela
1977 – Galerie Marcel Bernheim, Paris, France
1980 – Osaka 80th International Festival of Design and Graphic Arts, Osaka, Japan
1980 – “L’oeil du Diaph”, Festival International d’Osaka au compte rendu, Paris, France
1981 – 81st. International Festival 1981 of Design and Graphic Arts, sponsored by SONY, Osaka, Japan
1982 – Galería Cristóbal Rojas, Venezuelan Embassy in Paris, France
1983 – Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela II Bienal de Artes Visuales, by invitation only. 2 Paintings, acrylic on canvas.
1983 – El Dorado Country Club, Caracas, Venezuela
1986 – V. Bienal de Arte Iberoamericano, Instituto Cultural Domecq, México City, México ● By invitation only. 2 large Acrylic on canvas paintings.
1988 – Bulgaria Triennial of Art, Sophia, Bulgaria ● One large format painting. Acrylic on canvas.
1989 – XXIII Prix International d’Art Contemporain de Montecarlo, Monaco, France ● By invitation only.
1991 – Art-Expo at Jacob Javits Center, New York, NY, USA. ● 15 works. Large format acrylic on canvas
1993 – Miami Art Expo, Miami, Florida, USA (representing galería Bass from Caracas, Venezuela)
1999 – Biennale Internazionale dell’Arte Contemporanea, Florence, Italy ● Paintings on large format. Acrylic on canvas. Theme: on Michelangelo
2005 – Galería OKYO, in both locations: Caracas and Maracaibo, Venezuela
2009 – Gallerie Rachmaninoff opening, Hotel Richmond, Geneva, Switzerland
2009 – Royal Gallery of Saint James Palace, London
LAVIE – DONATIONS
1982 – 2 Murals in Acrylic over fabric (500 x 300 cm) – Maternidad Concepción Palacios, Caracas, Venezuela
1987 – 1 Mural in cast iron (600 x 300 cm) – Lavinel, C.A., Centro Gerencial Mohedano, La Castellana, Caracas, Venezuela
1989 – “Cayenas” (big format) – Bank of America, Caracas, Venezuela
1994 – “Flowers from Venezuela” (big format) – University of Nebraska, College of Business Administration, Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.A.
1995 – Mariscal Sucre portrait (china ink on paper with water mark) – Gobernación del Estado Sucre, Venezuela
2000 – Baptism Mural, Santa Rosalia de Palermo portrait (fabric/acrylic) – Santa Rosalía de Palermo Church, El Hatillo, Caracas, Venezuela
2005 – José Gregorio Hernández portrait, portrait of Santa Ursula, 15 Canvas of the Passion – Santa Rosalía de Palermo Church, El Hatillo, Caracas, Venezuela
2006 – 15 Canvas of the Passion – Santa Ana Church, La Lagunita, Caracas, Venezuela