The artist / Biography
A life in
painting.
Italian-Uruguayan painter. Milan, 28 October 1924 – Montevideo, 21 January 2026.
Linda Kohen in her studio, black-and-white portrait
Uruguay / Painting
Linda Kohen
Linda Kohen was born Linda Olivetti Colombo in Milan on 28 October 1924. Her father, himself a gifted draughtsman and painter, kept her close to beauty from childhood: Sunday walks through the Galleria to study the fossils in its marble floor, and visits to the Pinacoteca di Brera.
In 1939, forced out of Italy by the racial laws, she emigrated with her family to South America. After brief stays in Buenos Aires and São Paulo, the family settled in Montevideo in 1940. Unable to pursue a university career, she devoted herself entirely to drawing and painting, first in the studio of Pierre Fossey on Plaza Independencia, then in private lessons with Eduardo Vernazza from 1944 to 1946.
In 1946 she married Rafael Kohen and moved to Buenos Aires, where she studied with Horacio Butler until 1948. Back in Montevideo in 1949, she joined the Taller Torres García, working under Julio Alpuy, Augusto Torres and José Gurvich. With her friend Eva Olivetti she went out each morning to paint the city from life.
After the deaths of her father and grandmother in 1955 she stopped painting for about four years. When she returned to the brush, a different, more inward painting emerged. Her first solo exhibition, at Galería Moretti in Montevideo in 1971, was almost entirely white; Augusto Torres predicted it would one day be called her white period.
From then on she worked in series, often around thirty paintings each, exhibiting in Montevideo, Punta del Este, Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Miami, Washington, D.C. and Vicenza, with an interlude in Brazil from 1979 to 1985. She also stepped away from the easel with The Great Screen, the fabric collages of The Bed, and the black Labyrinth.
Her paintings are intimate and almost autobiographical: her skirt, hands or legs, her reflection in mirrors, the rooms and everyday objects of her home, landscapes seen from her window. Serene, with a muted palette and stripped composition, the work has often been compared to the metaphysical stillness of Giorgio Morandi. In 2019 she received Uruguay's 58th National Prize for Visual Arts, and she was named an Illustrious Citizen of Montevideo.
She affirms that what has always motivated her was the mystery, the great mystery of life, and death. She has exhibited extensively, with solo shows in museums in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Italy, and the USA. Her works are part of public and private collections in South and North America, and Europe.
Delmira Agustini Medal (2019), Figari Prize to artistic trajectory (2021) and Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana (2023). Named Illustrious Citizen of Montevideo city (2024). Guest artist at the 60th Venice Biennale, Stranieri Ovunque (2024), and at the 6th Bienal de Montevideo (2025), the year she received the Premio Manuel Oribe de oro for lifetime achievement.
Linda Kohen died in Montevideo on 21 January 2026, at the age of 101. She painted until the end. In her own words: "And I continue painting…"
Timeline
Source: Premio Figari Catalogue
1924
Linda Olivetti Colombo was born in Milan, Italy. She was the youngest daughter of Allegra “Rina” Colombo and Guido Olivetti. Her brother Mario Olivetti was born in 1920. Her family was part of the Piedmont Jewish community, one of the oldest in Europe.
1924–1938
She attended elementary school and her first years of high school. She had a happy childhood with friends and a family environment full of love that encouraged her early creative vocation. Her father was an engineer who had a great vocation for art. He frequently took her to visit museums and observe historic buildings. Linda remembers her father’s fascination with 19th century painters such as the Induno brothers and Giacomo Favretto (1849-1887).
1939
The pressure exerted by Germany during the inter-war years led to the passage of anti-Semitic racial laws in Mussolini’s Italy. Jews were no longer allowed to study or marry Italian citizens and faced other restrictions. Linda’s father had contacts that allowed him to work in South America. The family decided to emigrate to Buenos Aires, finally settling in Montevideo. In Buenos Aires, Linda met by chance the Argentine artist Sofía Sabsay (19242008), who would later become her friend.
1940–1945
While living in Uruguay, Linda was unable to obtain the Italian documents that would allow her to continue high school. Her parents supported her efforts to learn about art and foreign languages. She became completely dedicated to painting. Linda’s first teachers in Montevideo were French artist Pierre Fossey (1901-1976), who was known for his urban drawings, which were used as illustrations in numerous magazines and tourism publications. In her studio located across from Plaza Independencia, the young Olivetti practiced landscape and portrait painting.
In 1942, she participated in a group exhibition in Galería Moretti. During this time, she took lessons from Eduardo Vernazza (1910-1991).
1946
She married Rafael Kohen, who would be her partner and support her career throughout his life. The couple moved to Buenos Aires. Linda studied painting in the Círculo de Bellas Artes and started taking classes with Horacio Buttler (1897-1983) - thanks to her husband’s efforts. Buttler was an important figure in Argentinean modernist art. Her time studying with Buttler would mark the artist, and his influence is reflected in her work, particularly in the white and ocher tones and definition of the pictorial space.
1947
Linda’s daughter Martha was born on July 25. Motherhood and her vocation became her main focus.
1948
The couple returned to Montevideo, where Linda’s family lived.
1949
Linda joined the studio of Joaquín Torres García (1874-1949), but he died a few months later. Her teachers were Augusto Torres (1913-1992), Julio Uruguay Alpuy (1919-2009), and José Gurvich (19271974). The artist Eva Olivetti (1924-2013), who married Linda’s brother Mario, joined soon after. It was during this period that the artist began to sign her paintings using the last name Kohen. Taller Torres Garcia (TTG) had a profound impact on her artistic training. Her constant efforts to observe, paint, and draw daily life with great austerity in terms of artistic resources is a legacy of her tutors from that period. The artist was fully aware that she was part of a school that would play a key role in the history of art. She participated in group shows until the studio closed in 1962.
1950
Linda’s son Roberto was born on March 28, 1950.
1955
Her father, Guido Olivetti, died, and her maternal grandmother, Nonna Pina, passed away a short time later. Both were very important figures for Linda, particularly her father. His death led her to stop painting until 1958. This three-year period was practically the only time in Linda’s life that she did not produce any work.
1960
Linda met frequently with her friends, artists Hilda López (1922-1996) and Eva Olivetti. She and Hilda attended exhibits and exchanged opinions about their work. Linda and Eva painted outdoors and practiced portraiture. The three artists learned those practices at Taller Torres García.
1968
The Kohens purchased a country home, “El Peñasco,” on the border between Maldonado and San Carlos. The property, an old farmstead, was renovated by the renowned architect Julio Villamajó (1894-1948) and was later updated by the Catalonian Antonio Bonet Castellana (19131989). It was a home with open spaces inserted as a terracota purist geometry in the highland landscape. The Kohen family received friends and cultural and political figures at “El Peñasco” for many years. Linda has especially fond memories of her encounters with Argentine artist Sofía Sabsay. On June 14, Uruguayan President Jorge Pacheco Areco implemented the Prompt Security Measures.
1971
Linda had her first individual show at Galería Moretti in Montevideo. It featured a series of paintings that reflected her palette of ochers and whites. Augusto Torres predicted that that stage would come to be known as her “white period.”
1973
A military coup took place in Uruguay on June 27, 1973. All democratic guarantees and freedom of opinion and expression were suspended.
1975
Linda created a series of paintings on paper titled Los caminos inspired by the shapes of the highway between Montevideo and Paysandú. She frequently traveled that road to visit her daughter Martha. This was the first time that she had chosen a theme and generated a series of paintings around it. It was to become her habitual working method.
1976–1978
During this period, the Kohens considered emigrating again due to the country’s difficult political situation. The artist felt the need to record that intimate family space before it disappeared. She began a series of paintings titled Las horas, in which she represented many household objects such as her clothing, her purse, etc. Rafael and Linda finally left Uruguay in May of 1977.
1979–1984
Rafael, Linda, and Linda’s mother Rina relocated to São Paulo, Brazil. These would be very prolific and productive years for her painting. She established the main thematic components of her work during her first few years in São Paulo. They included the views of the body in which the artist portrayed herself based on the scope of her gaze and paintings of spaces and geometric stereotyped beings. She lived near the São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP) and visited it regularly. She later invited its director, Pietro Maria Bardi (1900-1999), to visit her workshop.
In 1981, Professor Bardi invited her to have a solo show at MASP, an important milestone in the artist’s career. Her brother Mario Olivetti died that same year.
1985
Following a long period of totalitarianism, the military government finally ceded power to the political parties, paving the way for free and democratic elections.
1986
The entire family returned to Montevideo following the return of democracy except for Linda’s son Roberto, who moved to Buenos Aires. They split their time between Montevideo and “El Peñasco.” Linda was able to focus entirely on painting in the peace and quiet of her home in Maldonado.
1988
She held her first retrospective at the invitation of the director of the MASP. It was titled “1943-1988: 45 Years of Painting,” and it included 100 works from different periods. The artist was surprised to see how far she had come. The retrospective gave her the opportunity to consider the volume of her creative work.
1998
Linda’s mother died at the age of 103. Linda has portrayed her in many different periods and situations, and she was a key presence in the artist’s work.
2000–2001
Linda experimented with three dimensional art for the first time. It was a natural evolution of her large paintings, in which space is defined by vanishing points in mysterious architecture, hallways, and partially open doors. Her large scale piece El Gran Biombo, which is comprised of 14 1.25-meter high panels, was exhibited in October 2001 in Uruguay’s Ministry of Education and Culture. The large folding screen let her play with perspectives within and outside of the piece.
2005
Linda organized an immersive installation at the Spanish Cultural Center composed of 197 2.5-meter high by 60-centimeter wide black panels linked by hinges that form an enormous labyrinth through which spectators could wander. It marks her work’s definitive move to the physical space. The labyrinth and its construction can be considered a natural evolution of her screen paintings, in that they shape the passage through the work of art.
2007
Linda Kohen exhibits a selection of the best paintings of her 45 years of work at the Borges Cultural Center of Buenos Aires under the curatorship of her longtime friend, art critic Sarah Guerra.
2008
A major exhibition called Laberinto was held at the Palais de Clace in Buenos Aires. It included the installation of the same name as well as El Gran Biombo and the series Los caminos. The artist worked with renowned musician and researcher Coriún Aharonián (1940-2017) on the effort, and he composed a special musical setting for the labyrinth. The exhibit was a success with the public and was also very well received by art critics.
2009
Linda’s life partner Rafael Kohen died. Linda reacted to his passing with emotional strength and a feeling of profound loneliness that was reflected in her paintings.
2012–2014
She exhibited her work in August 2012 in the National Museum of Visual Arts at the invitation of its director, Enrique Aguerre. Jorge Abbondanza (Montevideo,1936-2020) curated the exhibition, which included a significant sample of her work and latest pieces as well as a replica of her studio with her Olivetti typewriter, which the artist painted several times. The exhibit was titled “Sola” and was dedicated to Rafael. It was during this period that Linda Kohen’s career became firmly established. She had numerous solo retrospectives in various countries between 2011 and 2014. The most important were held at Fundación Atchugarry in Manantiales, the American Collection Gallery in Miami, Dan Galleria in Sao Paulo, and Galería Guelfi in Vicenza, Italy. In 2014, Linda Kohen: Private Life: my house, my table, my bed, my self was inaugurated in the Cecilia de Torres Gallery in New York. The gallery’s owner worked with artists from the Escuela del Sur.
2015–2019
She was invited to be included in Galería Latina’s publications on Uruguayan artists. The book Linda Kohen, Poéticas reveladas del pensamiento by Sonia Bandrymer was presented at the MNAV. She again exhibited her work at Galería Guelfi in Vicenza, Italy with a show titled Amanti and her work was featured at The Americas Collection in Florida (USA).
In 2015, she exhibited the series Los caminos at Museo Mazzoni in Maldonado, Uruguay and Natura y el Hombre at Fundación Atchugarry Maldonado, Uruguay.
In 2019, the National Visual Arts Prize was renamed “Premio Nacional Linda Kohen.” The awards exhibit was held at Espacio de Arte Contemporáneo (EAC) and featured a selection of Linda’s paintings and the installation El Laberinto. It was titled Una Salida para el Laberinto (An exit for the labyrinth) and was installed in the EAC’s open air patios. The exhibit was designed to serve as the final intervention of El Laberinto, which had been damaged while outdoors.
2020–2022
A global pandemic reached Uruguay in March 2020. Kohen remained confined to her apartment due to the risk that Sars Cov 2 poses to older adults. The artist continues to paint and has created a series on social isolation.
In November 2021, a jury comprised of María Eugenia Grau, Elena O’Neill, and Daniel Gallo decided to award the Figari Prize sponsored by the Central Bank of Uruguay to Linda. It is the highest award recognizing the career of an active Uruguayan artist. In the context of that prize, the Figari Museum organized the exhibit Linda Kohen. La persistencia de lo íntimo, (Linda Kohen. The persistence of the intimate) a retrospective curated by Federico Arnaud.
2023
Solo exhibition ´Exilios´ at the Juan Manuel Blanes Museum.
2024
Guest artist at the 60th Venice Biennale, entitled Stranieri Ovunque, curated by Adriano Pedrosa.
2024
Linda Kohen is named Illustrious Citizen of Montevideo city, awarded by the local government.
2025
Guest artist at the 6ta. Bienal de Montevideo, AMAZONAS Ancestral, Palacio Legislativo. Linda is awarded the Premio Manuel Oribe de oro, a life achievement recognition.
2026
Dies on January 21th, in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Writings by the artist
Premise1952
I enter my studio, close the door behind me, and I feel that my life is there.
Text for the exhibition Óleos, São Paulo1982
I like to paint in series: I painted the hours of my day, through the objects that represented them; I painted the paths I traveled when I went to Uruguay, I painted my person, arms, feet, hands. In this exhibition, I am presenting my environment, part of my world. I have called it "Apartamento 141," which is where I live, my home. I feel deeply everything that surrounds me: things that are almost an extension of me, that reflect me: the door, the elevator, certain pieces of furniture, objects, utensils from the living room, the kitchen, the bathroom, the bedroom, and also my studio. It seems important to me to paint that which is so much mine, myself, which is what I know best.
Text for the X-Diez exhibition, Montevideo2007
In general, I paint in series. When an idea presents itself to me, imposes itself upon me I would say, a work is born… and then another, and another, until all together they represent the idea… which deep down is always the same, in different forms: it is that of the solitude of the being, alone even when accompanied. Different themes, different times, different experiences, but solitude is always present, whether in the representation of an object, a situation, or the limit of my own body.
Text for the Laberinto exhibition, Buenos Aires2008
Mystery is what drives my work. That is, I want and it matters to me that my painting especially tells of what is not there, what one imagines, or intuits, or senses, or what unsettles and tries to understand: the mystery of our life, of the universe, of our mind... of life. Throughout so many years of work I have painted series on different themes, which are apparently distinct, but which in reality are "variations" on that same idea. Lately I have felt the need to step off the plane of the canvas: one of my latest series, "La Cama" [The Bed], includes, apart from traditional painting, fabric structures used as a collage, in relief. And in my installation "El Gran Biombo" [The Great Screen], it allows the spectator to move inside the screen and thus be surprised by the paintings in different ways, depending on the angle of the panels. From "El Gran Biombo" was born "Laberinto" [Labyrinth], which is the symbol of our uncertainty, of our search, ...of the mystery.
Texts for the exhibition Cinco Temas, Buenos Aires. Written in the third person.2010
LAS HORAS (THE HOURS). In 1976, in the midst of the dictatorship, the atmosphere was becoming heavy, very heavy, in Uruguay, and it was especially difficult, worrying, even dangerous for the Kohen family. I felt that my life was about to change. I felt the need to capture that serene life I had been leading and began to paint in detail all the events of my day, before everything changed. The series was called “Las Horas” (an ordinary day in my life before May 7, 1977): the bedroom, waking up, the toilette, breakfast, phone calls, tea with my friend Nelly, visiting Mother, Rafael returning from work. Eventually, the Kohen family had to leave the country. The series was finally completed in São Paulo, where the family took refuge for several years.
SOLEDADES (SOLITUDES). All of Linda Kohen's painting is autobiographical: there is myself, my Mother, my loved ones, my house, my things… The Soledades series arose spontaneously, it imposed itself on me irresistibly at the end of “Las Horas”. It happened like this: one day, while arranging the coffee cup I was going to paint, I noticed my hand holding the cup and I became aware that there was a vision of my hand, of myself, that only I could see, from my visual field, and thus a self-portrait in parts arose, which was titled “Soledades”.
LA CASA (THE HOUSE). The paintings in the “La Casa” series refer to an endearing house, the large, spacious, generous, harmonious, magical house that Rafael, my husband, bought in 1968. It is called “El Peñasco” and is located on a hill in the department of Maldonado. From that moment on, the family spent a large part of the year in that house, where we experienced wonderful things: births, weddings, children's birthdays, the 100th birthday of the Nonna… We hosted very special people: artists, personalities from many parts of the world, politicians, and above all, friends, many friends. The bond between the Kohens and the house is very deep. El Peñasco is an intrinsic part of each one of us. I have my studio there, where I have worked a lot. My life at El Peñasco has been divided between painting, nature, and farm activities. I accompanied my husband in forming a small zoo, in planting trees, in breeding rare species, and in setting up the vegetable garden. They were years of great activity, of intense and enriching work. After 20 years, upon returning from our stay in Brazil, or perhaps precisely because we had been away for so long, I felt the need to paint the house. And the “El Peñasco” series emerged: the house in the sun, in the dark, illuminated, its mysterious windows…
LA MESA (THE TABLE). The everyday, the simple things that accompany us, are recurring themes in my work: everyday objects, bathroom and kitchen utensils, furniture… A very significant series has been “La Cama” (The Bed), where I launched into a new experience: the third dimension. I applied pieces of fabric (also painted) onto the canvas, as if they were pieces of sheets. The fabrics formed interesting shadows and could be moved to create effects, other shadows. In this exhibition, the focus is on “La Mesa”. The table is always present in our day, a true witness to our life.
UN DÍA (A DAY). The way our day passes is another of the themes that periodically resurface in my work. The theme is present in this exhibition in the “Las Horas” series and in the 14 small paintings I called “Un Día”. It refers to the multiple different facets of the modern woman's day, with her traditional, atavistic roles, and those she has assumed in the new society, including “maternity,” “cooking,” “work,” “family and professional relationships.” I believe that the series is far from complete, and that I will have to paint many more pictures to do justice to the reality of the woman of today.
Imaginary Interview. Text for the exhibition "El Gran Biombo", Montevideo2001
(Fragment)
My teachers at the Taller Torres García.
The person who looked after and directed the Taller was Alpuy, a great artist, great teacher, great person, great friend. As a teacher he was “implacable”: no painting, first one had to draw; and it was drawing, drawing, a lot of discipline and rigor. And it was good!!! Very good!!! I am very grateful to him.
The atmosphere in the Taller, which operated on Rondeau Street, in the El Ateneo building, was very austere, very special; I would say almost religious. There was a Taller “style”: how Fonseca, Montiel, Gurvich, Horacio, Augusto, and Alpuy dressed, usually in dark windbreaker sweaters. Ungainly, walking a bit hunched over, very, very serious. In truth, I felt a bit intimidated, very insecure, very small in front of them (colleagues of mine later confessed to me that they felt that way too)… but we learned and worked religiously.
When Alpuy went to Colombia, Augusto took charge of the Taller, but it was for a short time, because he did not like to teach, and he passed the command to Gurvich. With Gurvich it was very different: the classes were freer, I would say more vital, one could feel that effervescence of Gurvich, that eagerness to try different ways, different materials, to play and enjoy sensually in art.
I remember some things: one day he sent me to the Museum to take notes on a large still life by the Master. He told me: “You go, study it, take notes, and then in your studio, you set up a different still life, but within that spirit, within those proportions and… you paint it.” I have that painting, I never got rid of it. Another time he suggested I get a small wooden board, paint it black. When it was dry, to paint it with white enamel and, when dry, to make a constructive drawing and then engrave it with an awl. The effect that was achieved was really very interesting.
Another time he gave me a practical lesson by drawing on my sketchpad those symbols he used for his constructive paintings, also writing down teachings about the visual arts. The classes were varied, invigorating, so much so that a few of us disciples followed Gurvich to his studio, in his beautiful house in El Cerro (an environment full of magic), to work more days with him. Those trips to El Cerro are unforgettable. I believe that having been able to participate in those classes and having belonged to the Taller Torres García was one of the wonderful things that life gave me.
The Bed2015
I have painted many times “the bed”, at different moments. In various stages of my painting life. The bed is, I believe, a very precious subject because it evokes the transcendental moments of our life: it is where we are born, we love, we die.
While painting the bed and feeling its strength as a mute witness of our passing through life, I also feel in it the presence and (and absence) of its occupants.
I am fascinated by the form, the folds, the creases and breaks of the white linen and the shadows they produce.
Although some of the “beds” are painted “traditionally”, aiming to transmit the beauty of the subtle shadows through the painted surface, I felt, in others, the need to add pieces of cloth, so that we could appreciate the transformation of shadows with the changing light, or with the changing angle of the onlooker.
I have included fabric pieces as collage. And I have tried to mimic and blend them in, so unifying the fabric towards forming a single thing with the painting.
Portraits
