Guillermo Larrazábal

Guillermo Larrazábal Arzubide (10 February 1907 – 1983) was a Spanish stained glass artist who was active in Ecuador. He is considered Ecuador's most important stained glass artist.

Biography Early life and education Guillermo Larrazábal was born in Mexico City on February 10, 1907, while his mother was traveling there. His parents, Juan Domingo Larrazábal Basarrate and Daniela Arzubide Villa, were both from Bilbao, Spain. His father was a businessman who dealt in cacao and coffee. Larrazábal grew up in a grand residence in Bilbao, where he was the youngest of nine children. When he was five, he contracted meningitis and was seriously ill; after he recovered, he was mute for some time. During primary school, he would lock himself in his room to practice speaking in front of a mirror, and he overcame his muteness after many hours of practice. (He continued to speak with a slight stutter, however, for some time.) Larrazábal's father died in 1916. Guillermo Larrazábal had a difficult childhood and was very religious.

Guillermo Larrazábal switched between several schools as a child, including a school for accounting. Professor Adrian Martinez requested that Larrazábal be allowed to study solely art and recommended Larrazábal to several art academies. In 1932, Martinez recommended that he join the studio of Luis Lerchundi, an artist based in Bilbao. Guillermo Larrazábal worked under painter Félix Cañada, who was known for his Art Nouveau works, particularly in Bilbao's . Larrazábal quickly advanced within the studio and soon began learning the techniques of stained glass. His wife arrived shortly thereafter, though they soon separated. and later traveled to other cities in Ecuador. A second exhibition took place in Quito's Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador in 2013.