PUBLICATIONS
CARMEN L PETTERSEN, LIFE, ART AND PASSION.
In this masterful publication, the Carmen L. Pettersen Foundation presents the life, work, and artistic passions of Carmen L. Pettersen, one of Guatemala’s most renowned watercolorists. The book includes an extensive text written by Guatemalan curator Rossina Cazali, which brings us closer to the artist’s biography and the historical context that influenced her artistic production. It also reflects on and discusses the contributions that Pettersen made through her meticulous watercolors dedicated to the landscapes of the Guatemalan coastline and the extraordinary botanical richness of the southern coast of Guatemala. Katherine Manthorne, a recognized art history professor at City University of New York (CUNY) and author of dozens of books and essays on Latin American art, places Pettersen within the context of continental art and establishes important comparisons with other authors dedicated to landscape. Christa Bollmann contributes with an analysis of Pettersen’s importance in the conservation of the textile tradition of the Mayan peoples of Guatemala through interviews with Violeta Gutiérrez, curator of the Museo Ixchel, and Rosario Miralbés, ethnographer and textile specialist from Guatemala.
Carmen L. Pettersen was born in 1900 in Guatemala City. From a very young age, her family moved to live in London where Carmen trained at the Polytechnic School of Art in London. Upon returning to her native country, she spent most of her life at Finca El Zapote, where, together with her husband, Leif Lind Pettersen, she developed an extraordinary tropical garden. It is there where Pettersen developed her own style, and at the age of 70, she embarked on writing and illustrating the well-known book “Maya de Guatemala,” which includes 60 watercolors of indigenous costumes from Guatemala.
Under the title “Carmen L. Pettersen: Life, Work, and Passion,” the book includes over a hundred images of works belonging to private collections and rarely seen in public exhibitions. The selection includes landscapes, family portraits, costumes, and botanical sketches made by Pettersen in watercolor, ink, charcoal, crayon, and oils throughout her nearly fifty years of professional artistic production.
In 220 pages, this document—designed, edited, and printed with the highest quality criteria—affirms Pettersen’s legacy and contributions through her life, work, and passion for art.
You can purchase a copy of the book in Guatemala HERE (enlace a Visa).
If you are in the United States and wish to purchase this book, please contact us HERE.
Publications
Carmen L. Pettersen´s book Maya of Guatemala, Life and Dress, illustrated with the 61 watercolors of the Foundation´s art collection, was published in 1977.
Maya of Guatemala is considered to be the classic book on Mayan Indian textile weavings. The exquisitely beautiful paintings constitute the best illustrations ever done of the Mayan villagers´ typical garb. The full page paintings face parallel texts in English and Spanish telling about the particular outfit and the customs of the Mayan people. Pettersen´s informative text about the weavings is peppered with fascinating, little known historical facts as well as touching personal anecdotes about her travels with fellow collectors and admirers of Mayan textile art.
Maya of Guatemala can be bought at the gift store in the Museo Ixchel and HERE