JIMÉNEZ DEREDIA

Jorge Jiménez Deredia was born on October 4, 1954, in Heredia, Costa Rica. He is an internationally renowned sculptor and architect, known for his ability to blend the pre-Columbian cultural heritage with the aesthetics of the Italian Renaissance.

Deredia discovered his passion for sculpture at the age of 13 in the workshop of the Heredia High School. He later attended the Conservatorio Castella, where he began to develop an interest in organic forms and pre-Columbian art. In 1976, he moved to Carrara to learn marble-working techniques and, after his studies, decided to settle permanently in Italy. He continued his training at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Carrara and later studied architecture at the University of Florence from 1980 to 1986.

Deredia's artwork is deeply influenced by the indigenous culture of Costa Rica, the Renaissance, and the pre-Columbian spheres of the Boruca culture of Costa Rica. These spheres inspired his concept of "Transmutative Symbolism", which explores the transformation of matter through time and space. His works often depict motherhood and the evolution of life, using organic and symbolic forms such as the sphere, the womb, and the breast.

Jiménez Deredia was the first Latin American sculptor to place a sculpture in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican: the statue of Saint Marcellin Champagnat, inaugurated in 2000 in the presence of Pope John Paul II. Through his sculptures, he seeks to recover and renew the spiritual values of indigenous peoples, offering a vision that connects the individual to the universe. The concept of “Génesis” in his work represents the evolution of life and the transmutation of the human being, which he describes as “stardust” in constant transformation.