The man behind the brush

Federico Ernesto Gonzenbach Abad was born and works in Guayaquil. His paternal roots come from Europe, but his spirit and native essence sprang up and took flesh in Guayaquil, Ecuador. His first exhibition, in 1973, began a relationship with the city that would repeat almost every year for five decades.

When I am in my studio, I paint accompanied only by a good cup of coffee and music that wraps around me. In that instant I connect: I am on another frequency, in another dimension, where time ceases to exist and forms appear and disappear. I draw inspiration from paradisiacal places and also from artists such as the isms of Picasso, the spirituality of Kandinsky and the brilliant madness of Van Gogh.

His work moves through figuration, landscape, pen-and-ink and abstraction without ever leaving the same territory: the river, the hill, the wooden house, the light of the estuary. In 2001 he donated the original collection "Plumillas de Guayaquil eterno" to the Municipal Museum. He has exhibited in Ecuador, the United States, Argentina, Italy, France, Germany and Switzerland. In 2023 the Casa de la Cultura del Guayas paid tribute to his 50 years of artistic career.

Awards and distinctions

• 2026Recognition of merit and historical legacy, Ecuadorian–American Chamber of Commerce · Guayaquil
• 2025Latidos del Arte certificate, by Cultura y Fraternidad · Guayaquil
• 2025Diploma, Fundación La Casa del Hombre Doliente
• 2024Diploma, Agrupación Cultura y Fraternidad
• 2024Professional excellence award, Rostros magazine
• 2023Recognition by the Cámara de la Cultura del Guayas honouring 50 years of artistic career

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