A series of events will take place this week to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of artist Manuel Lepe Macedo’s death.
Lepe is considered a distinguished artist in Puerto Vallarta and his work continues to be recognized throughout the city.
Manuel Lepe was born on April 17, 1936 in Puerto Vallarta and was an artist representative of the style known as Naif. His art and murals highlighted the vallartense life, nature, childhood, customs, and relationship with the sea and mountains.
Lepe became internationally known, with exhibitions of his work in several US museums and galleries. He was named Mexico’s national artist by president Luis Echevarría Álvarez in 1979.
Lepe made the first ever tourist poster for Puerto Vallarta as it became a major tourist destination.
He died on September 9, 1984 in Guadalajara from a cerebral aneurysm. His workshop in Puerto Vallarta is preserved as a gallery and museum. Some of his works are on display there as well as at the Peter Gray Museum of Art on the Coastal Campus of the University of Guadalajara, North of Puerto Vallarta.
Commemorative activities will begin on Tuesday, September 9 with a guard of honor on the Malecon II, next to the Naval Historical Museum. City historian, Juan Manuel Gomez Encarnacion, will give a lecture on the life and work of Manuel Lepe.
On Wednesday, September 10, in the courtyard of City Hall, there will be a bohemian evening with the voice of the singer Perla Alarcón, in which the Vallarta artist will be remembered through his works and anecdotes. In City Hall there is a mural of his work.
Casa Museo Manuel Lepe is located at Jacarandas 485 Col. Emiliano Zapata CP 48380
