Photograph by George J. Sandoval.
As we observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15th to October 15th, we bring you the stories and contributions made by our Latino community here in Ventura County. Today, we’re featuring an artist in the Museum’s collection, Nicaraguan painter, Omar d’Leon.
A prolific master painter, Omar D’Leon (born Omar D’Leon Lacayo y Estrada in 1929 in Managua, Nicaragua) has held a place as one of the most renowned Nicaraguan painters for more than 60 years and is an internationally acclaimed Ventura County artist.
The frescos of Pompeii served as an early inspiration that is reflected in the crosshatching technique he combines with his love of impressionism. D’Leon has known abundance, having been born into an upper-class family in Managua, as well as the anguish of loss, as many of his paintings were destroyed in the earthquake of 1972 and others stolen during the Sandinista Revolution of 1979.
In 1982, one of D’Leon’s paintings was reproduced as a UNICEF Stamp. His works are housed in museums such as the Museum of Latin American Contemporary Art in Washington DC, the Ponce Museum of Art in Puerto Rico, the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, the Chicago Art Institute, and the Cuevas Museum in Mexico City. Having escaped the Revolution, D’Leon has been a resident of Camarillo since 1980, He continues to work daily on his craft.
The Museum of Ventura County is proud to have this artist in our collection.
