Carlos Aitor Castillo

Carlos Aítor Castillo (1913–2000) was a Peruvian painter, educator, and art critic. He is known for his significant contributions to 20th-century Peruvian modern art.

Early life and education Carlos Aitor Castillo was born on June 8, 1913, in Lima, Peru. He was the youngest of eight children of the noted Peruvian painter Teófilo Castillo Guas, and María Gregoria Gaubeka, originally from the Basque Country in Spain. His name, Aítor, reflects this heritage, being a traditional Basque name.

In 1920, at the age of seven, Castillo moved with his family to Argentina, settling in Tucumán, where he completed his schooling. The untimely death of his father two years later marked his childhood with hardship. Initially, Castillo took up photography, a trade passed down from his father and practiced by his older brother, while dedicating his free time to painting.

In 1940, committed to pursuing his passion for art, he relocated to Buenos Aires to study drawing and painting at the Sociedad Argentina de Artistas Plásticos and Art History at the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters of the University of Buenos Aires. He supported himself through various jobs during this period.

Returning to Tucumán in 1948, Castillo enrolled at the School of Fine Arts at National University of Tucumán, under the mentorship of Lino Enea Spilimbergo. Washington, D.C., Paris, and Tel Aviv, and he participated in the São Paulo Art Biennials (from 1953 to 1961), and collective exhibitions in Mexico, Colombia, and other countries.

Castillo died on May 14, 2000, in Lima.

Awards and recognitions First prizes in the Salons of Tucumán and Santiago (Argentina) First Prize and Gold Medal (City Council Gallery 1954) Honorary member of the Miguel Lillo Foundation of Tucumán, Argentina (1991) Gold medal as emeritus Professor of the National Superior Autonomous School of Fine Arts, Lima (1992) Gold Medal from the Lions Club of Lima