Peruvian art

Peruvian art has been made famous worldwide thanks to Peruvian artists as Grimanesa Amorós and Marcos Zapata. In Peru, art can be traced back to the Cupisnique culture of the Pacific coastal region, and the Chavín culture from north of modern-day Lima. Both of these cultures, from around the 9th century BC, worked with gold, silver, and ceramics, producing symbolic works that are considered the beginnings of Peruvian art.

The Inca Civilization, which incorporated Peru into its empire in the 15th century, was an important influence on Peruvian art. Relics from this era can be seen in Peruvian museums such as Museo de Arte de Lima, and Machu Picchu is a beautiful reminder of the Incan Empire and the most famous icon of Peruvian architecture.

The Cuzco School of the early 16th century incorporated native Peruvian artists, especially Quechua, and imitated the European style of drawing and oil painting, with religious themes. Diego Quispe Tito emerged during this period and is still today a revered Peruvian artist. Together with Basilio Pacheco de Santa Cruz Pumacallao, he was one of the most famous Peruvian painters in the Cuzco School tradition. Ignacio Merino was one of the Peruvian artists who best captured the trend for French Romanticism in the 19th century, and modern-day Peruvian art continues to be influenced by its indigenous heritage.