Chronologica Biography

1891. He was born in La Plata on December 14th, the son of Antonio Curatella Italian scultor and decorator, dedicated to the building ornamentation, and Clara Manes, Greek, He was the seventh son of a family of nine brothers and sisters.

1905. He works in a printing shop as a typographer. After suffering an accident he quits his job.
He starts his career in sculpture at Arturo Dresco's atelier, where he learns the craft and a refined modeling technique. Life close to Dresco, a good, paternal man, is the life of the old-tradition ateliers, always surrounded by artists.

1906. His family moved to Buenos Aires..

1907. His teacher advises him to attend the Fine Art Academy in Buenos Aires, where he frequently disagrees with his professors. He is eventually expelled as a result of his rebelliousness.
He carves his brothers' busts.

1908-1910. He collaborated for two years with the sculptor Lucio Correa Morales, frequently working the monuments that ornamented the city of Buenos Aires.

1910. He makes a medal with the effigy of the Vice-president of the Nation, Victorino de la Plaza, and has it cast in gold with the whole family savings. He presents it to the Vice-president, who amazed by the piece, offers him a provincial government grant, to continue his art and Rome for two years. Makes figurative sculptures, some monumental in size studies in Florence.

1911. He settles in Florence. He thinks it is more productive to visit museums, churches and admire the architectonic monuments than staying in the academy. He travels through France, England, Germany, Austria, Belgium, and Holland.

1912. He shows his works for the first time in the National Saloon of Buenos Aires.

1913. He works with artists like Maillol and Bourdelle. He moves to Paris and lives in Montparnasse neighbourhood.

1914. He returns to Buenos Aires, because of the First World War.

1914. Alter the outbreak of Sérusier. He travels to Madrid and Barcelona and exhibits his work in those cities.

1916. He founds the Autumn Saloon of La Plata.

1917. Second trip to Europe. In Paris, he studies at the Ranson Academy with Maillol, Maurice Denis and Serusier. He travels to Madrid and Barcelona where he organises expositions.

1918. He returns to Buenos Aires. His sculptures reflect the intention of simplification of synthesis: ''Isis'' and ''Sitting Woman'' are exponents of this tendency.

1920. Third trip to Europe. He settles in Paris and starts again his studies with Bourdelle, who teaches him the architectural building. He meets the painter Andre Lothe and they become close friends. He performs ''The thought full woman'', ''The three swimmers'' and ''The woman on the thick coat''. He exhibits at the Autumn Saloon of the Independents in the Tuilleries up to 1929.

1921-1926. He becomes part of the vanguard movement with Juan Gris, Leger, Gleizes, Brancusi, Pierre Reverdy, and some time later also Le Corbusier.
This is the most creative and productive period of his life. He performs ''The Guitarist'', ''The Accordionist'', ''The man of the contrabass'', subjects that are dear to the cubists artists. Then comes ''The lying down nymph'', ''The dragon'', ''The man with the rope''. One of the most outstanding among all was ''The acrobats'', which marks the beginning of a new stage, called open sculptures.

1922. He marries the French painter Germaine Derbecq, and they open their workshop at 12 rue St. Gilles.

1925. He shows at the Vavin Gallery, with another members of the vanguard movement of Paris.

1926.Is awarded the silver medal at the Decorative Arts Exhibition for his relief "Lancelot and Genevieve"
He is appointed Foreign Secretary of the Argentine embassy in Paris.

1929. Receives an invitation to participate in the First Modern Sculpture Exhibition organized by Teriade at the Berheim Gallery, together with the best-known artists of those days.

1930. After 2 years of inactivity, he takes up again his sculpture work with ''The three graces'' and he also makes illustrations for the Quechua Drama ''Ollantay''.

1931-1934. To these period belongs works as ''The Annunciation'', ''The apostol head'', also known as ''The Prophet head'' and the series of torsos and ''Maternity''.

1933. He is awarded the Second Prize at the Buenos Aires National Exhibition.

1934. His son Jorge is born.

1936. He moves his workshop to 40 Rue Lauriston, near the Plaza de l´Etoile.

1937. The Buenos Aires Committee orders two high reliefs to decorate the hall of the Argentine Pavilion in the International and Universal Paris Exhibition; two maps, one of Argentina, and the other of the two hemispheres. Advisor to the General Manager of the Argentine Pavilion at the International and Universal Paris Exhibition. Assistant Manager; Member of the higher jury for Plastic Arts at such exhibition; officer of the Legion of Honor. 1939.First class Foreign Secretary. Before the war he was in charge of the repatriation section of the Argentine nationals residing in France.

1940. He moves to Vichy with the rest of the embassy staff. During the war he works with scanty resources. He draws, makes models in clay, metal or cardboard. It is the time of his greatest structuring. He creates the "Mother Structure" which will serve as a foundation for other works to come. He is appointed second class Secretary. 1945.Paris is freed and he has to set up the Argentinean Embassy again there. He is in charge of restoring San Martin's house, in Boulogne-Sur-Mer, which has been bombed during the war. He is the only Argentinean Representative Officer, who develops important activities related to diplomacy.

1946.- His works are saw at The Independent Saloon in the Tullerias in Paris, an exhibition, which has been banned during the war.

1947.- He participates in the exhibition in the Denise-René Gallery in Paris, togheter with Arp, Calder, Giacometti, Picasso and Laurens.
As Argentinean officer, he takes part at the first UNESCO meeting. He exhibits his work at Pensee-Francaice house in "The French sculpture since Rodin's times".
He is sent to Oslo to work in the Consulate. That forces him to be away from his workshop in Paris. He makes sketches and models again as his only way of expressing his art.
In Buenos Aires he obtains the First Prize at the Fine Arts National Gallery for his work called ''Dragon''.

1949.He is appointed Head of the General Consulate in Athens. He donates thirty-one of his works, in plaster, to be cast and exhibited at the Buenos Aires Museum of Modern Art

1951. He returns to Buenos Aires at the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He starts to work with new materials that allow him to create structures of a lighter expression.

1952. He participates from the International Bienal in Venice togheter with Carlos de la Cárcova, Antonio Sassone, Fioravanti, Avendano y Puig. There, he exhibits his work called ''The bird'', the first of the seven variations of ''Mother Structure''.

1953. He organises the Argentinean Exposition of Contemporary Art, which is also shown in Chile, Peru and Ecuador.

1954. He takes part in the organising board which must send works of arts to the International Exposition in Brussels, Belgium.

1955. The Argentine Government accepts, through an executive order, his donation of 1949, but the pieces will be sent to the National Museum of Fine Arts.
Two of his pieces, "Torso Femenino" and "Tierra Argentina" are displayed at the Paris National Museum of Modern Art.

1957.He participates with his works ''Space Construction'' and ''Projection'' at the International Bienal, in Brazil.
He organises the second exhibition called ''Our Time''. The Argentinean Embassy appoints him First Class Secretary. honour prize of the Exposition Plastic Arts of Mar del Plata. He exhibits at the Wildestein Gallery and receives a great review of critics.

1958.Two relieves called ''The Drama'' and ''The Comedy'' is shown at General San Martín Theatre. This work is commanded by the architect Mario Roberto Alvarez.

1958. He is sent to the Argentinean Embassy in Brussels, Belgium.
He participates in the International Exhibition in Brussels and he is misnamed vice-president in the Grand Jury of Fine Arts. Because of this, he is awarded ''The Leopold Order'' by the king of Belgium.

1958. He is pensioned by the Argentinean Embassy.

1961. He is appointed commissioner at the Fine Arts Bienal in Paris. He re-opens his workshop on Lauriston Street. Paris gives him one of the best moments of his creative work and a group of close friends.
He uses some new modelling techniques using soil or plastiline. From that period are ''Omega'' and a series called '''Studies''.

1962- He exhibits at the Creuze Gallery. The exposition is called ''Pablo Manes and thirty Argentinean from the new generation''.

The Modern Museum of Fine Arts in Paris buys two of his works ''The Guitarrist'' and ''Female Torso''.
However, by that time he is very ill and he has to come back to Buenos Aires. So far, his works has been shown in Paris, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Philadelphia, Madrid, Florence, Venice, San Pablo, Lima, Santiago de Chile and other cities.

1962-He passed away on November 14, in Buenos Aires at age 71.