Ignacio Merino

Ignacio Merino Muñoz (30 January 1817 – 17 March 1876) was a Peruvian painter notable for historical and costumbrista works, and considered the founder of the Peruvian school of painting. Beginning at age 6, he spent much of his life in Paris.

His artworks inspired French writer Jules Verne's 1852 short story "Martin Paz," which was set in Lima, Peru and begins with a summarization of Merino's life and art.

Educating in Peru In 1838, Merino returned to Peru at 20 years of age, also having studied in Italy and Spain. Upon returning to Paris, he produced 92 wood engravings for a luxury 1854 edition of 1797 satire Lima por dentro y fuera, collaborating with Parisian printer A. Mézin and draftsman A. Jourdain. Many of these engravings, including landscapes, portraits, and popular scenes, served as studies for later canvases of costumbrista themes.

Death and legacy Posthumous (c. 1890) engraving of Merino by Evaristo San Cristóval

Merino died of tuberculosis in 1876, and he was buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery. Having never married and without an heir, he ceded his estate and artworks to the Municipality of Lima.

This included 33 paintings which, in 1925, were the first acquisitions of the newly founded , which continues to operate as of 2023.

Gallery