September 22, 2001 - January 6, 2002

On September 22, 2001 the Reading Public Museum will debut the exhibit PERUVIAN PERSPECTIVES: watercolors of the Andes by ARMANDO FREYRE from the collection of Leena and Der Scutt, Architect of the Reading Public Museum. Prints and original work are available for purchase.

This poignant collection of 80 watercolors and selected prints demonstrate Freyre's view of the third world country of Peru and its Andes Mountains by epitomizing its people, architecture and landscapes.

Armando Freyre is a self-taught artist who has studiously mastered the medium of watercolor, which is evident in his fluid brushwork and his ability to capture the light and atmosphere of his subjects. His topics range from detailing daily life tasks of the Andes Mountain inhabitants and their animals, to capturing the exquisite Spanish colonial architecture of the region. Probably most fascinating about this artist is that he creates everything en plein air on trips he takes into the Andes from his hometown of Lima. He takes trains and buses to the mountains and hikes with a backpack with his paper rolled and carried in tubes, and uses mountain rivers and streams as his source of water. Freyre sleeps in spare rooms in village houses, accepting the hospitality of the people he records in his paintings. "I don't like to stay in one place", says Freyre. The life of the wandering artist has been his path through life and he wouldn't have it any other way.

For the past several years, Freyre has exhibited his paintings literally on the streets and at various arts festivals throughout the United States. He does all his paintings in Peru, where he usually returns twice a year. His incongruous style of combining realism and impressionism have caught the eye of many collectors who own his work, but none more than architect Der Scutt who helped facilitate this impressive premier museum exhibit for Freyre with many paintings from his personal collection. In the end, Freyre's mission is to bring people together, but admittedly he feels his efforts are small "like a little grain of sand." In Freyre's own words, "When the American people understand more the Central American and South American people, the American government will make a right relationship with our countries."

Robert Metzger, Ph.D
Director, CEO, Chief Curator Reading Public Museum