Jiménez Deredia

“The magic is born when faith, enthusiasm, and sacrifice unite.”

Jorge Jiménez Martínez (B. 1954) whose artist name is Deredia, was born on in Heredia, Costa Rica. He started sculpting in the seventies creating pieces already bearing the signs and characteristics of what would become consistent throughout his successive works: the development of organic shapes modified by their environment, the force of gravity and growth, and the influence of pre-Columbian art. In 1976 at 22 years old, a study grant took him to Italy where he settled and from there started to travel around Europe, coming into contact with the main artistic movements of the continent. (Read More)

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Deredia graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Carrara and between 1980 and 1986 he attended the Faculty of Architecture at Florence University. The perception of a globalized dimension of ‘being’ and the universe, forming the basis of his vision of life, developed and deepened thanks to a conscious return to the origins of his own country. In his work, he started to reflect the extraordinary creative influence received by observing the monumental granite spheres, produced by the pre-Columbian civilization of the Borucas. Those artifacts of mysterious primordial strength moved the sculptor towards studies of shape and material, as well as the function and symbology derived from the sphere and circle.

By taking on the artist name “Deredia” (a contraction of “de Heredia” or “originating from Heredia”), the artist’s conscious return to his origins was underlined at that time as the source of his creative and philosophical inspiration.

In 1999, the Fabbrica di San Pietro commissioned the sculptor to produce a statue of San Marcelino Champagnat, which would be placed in one of the huge scale Michelangelo niches situated along the external perimeter of the basilica’s left transept. The sculpture was inaugurated by Pope John Paul II in the year of the Grand Jubilee and with this work Deredia became the first Latin American artist to present one of his works within the center of the Catholic world: The Vatican.

Throughout his 47-year career, Deredia has created monumental works for museums, external environments and public institutions in sixteen different countries across Europe, America and Asia. He has held 50 personal exhibitions and over 100 collective exhibitions worldwide. 

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2015 
Mexico, Mexico City, Jiménez Deredia. Una Génesis para la Paz.
Spain, Valencia, Ciudad de las Ciencias y las Artes, El Tiempo y el Espacio en la escultura de Jiménez Deredia. 
Guatemala. Guatemala City. Ana Lucia Gómez Arte Latinoamericano. Homenaje a Jiménez Deredia. 
 
2014
U.S.A. Miami. Ascaso Gallery. El Tiempo y el Espacio en la escultura de Jiménez Deredia. 
 
2012
Italy.Trapani/Segesta (Sicily). Aeroport Birgi Vincenzo Florio, Corso Vittorio Emanuele (Trapani center), Piazza del Mercato del Pesce, archeological site of Segesta. Jiménez Deredia, la genesi e il simbolo – il mito contemporaneo.
Netherlands. Oisterwijk. Etienne Gallery and City Hall plaza of Oisterwijk. J. 
 
2011
Panama. Panama City. Legacy Fine Art. Jiménez Deredia y el Simbolismo de la Esfera.
France. La Baule. Gare de La Baule – Escoublac, Parvis d’Atlantia, Place des Palmiers, Esplanade Francois André. Jiménez Deredia sculptures monumentales avec la ville de La Baule.
U.S.A. Miami. Tresart Gallery. A selection of Recent Sculptures by Jiménez Deredia. 
 
2010
U.S.A. Miami. US Century Bank. Jorge Jiménez Deredia at Brickell Avenue.
China. Shangai. EXPO 2010.
Guatemala. Guatemala City. Galería Carlos Woods Arte Antiquo y Contemporaneo. 
 
2010
China. Shangai. EXPO 2010.
Guatemala. Ciudad de Guatemala. Galería Carlos Woods Arte Antiquo y Contemporaneo. 
 
2009
Italy. Rome. Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Foro Romano, Colosseo, Museo Romano – Palazzo Massimo, Museo Romano Altemps, Deredia a Roma. 
 
2008
U.S.A. Miami. US American Century Bank. Jorge Jiménez Deredia at Brickell Avenue. 
 
2006
Italy. Florence. Limonaia del Giardino di Boboli, Piazza della Repubblica, Piazza Pitti, Piazzale della Galleria degli Uffizi.
Il Mistero della Genesi nella Scultura di Jiménez Deredia. 
 
2005
Italy. Pietrasanta. Parco della Versiliana. La sfera, simbolo dell’essere.
Venezuela. Caracas. Galería Spatium. 
 
2004
U.S.A. Miami. Americas Collection. El inicio del conocimiento.
Mexico. Monterrey. Galería Ramis Barquet. El inicio del conocimiento. 
 
2003
Panama. Lecagy Fine Art Gallery.
Peru. Lima. Galería Lucía de la Puente. 
 
2002-2003
Panama. Legacy Fine Art Gallery.
Peru. Lima. Galería Lucía de la Puente. • U.S.A. Boca Raton. Boca Raton Museum of Art. 
 
2002
El Salvador. San Salvador. Galería Espacio. 
 
2000
Italy. La Spezia. Museo Amedeo Lia. 
 
1999
Italy. Venice. XLVIII Venice Biennial. 
 
1998
Spain. Madrid. Arco Exposition (Fair). Quintana Gallery. 
 
1997
Italy. Montecatini Terme. Parco del Tettuccio. 
 
1996
Costa Rica. San José. Teatro Nacional. • Costa Rica. San José. Galería Valanti. 
 
1994
Costa Rica. San José. Galería Valanti. 
 
1993
Italy. Venice. XLV Venice Biennial. • France. Paris. Gaymu Gallery.
France. Paris. Grand Palais (Decouvertes). 
 
1992
Costa Rica. San José. Galería Valanti. 
 
1990
U.S.A. Washington D.C. Modern Art Museum of Latin America.
France. Paris. Latin American House. • U.S.A. Washington D.C. Le Marie Trainier Gallery. 
 
1988
Italy. Venice. XLIII Venice Biennial. 
 
1987
Costa Rica. San José. Museos del Banco Central de Costa Rica. 
 
1985
Italy. La Spezia. Centro Allende. 1984
Italy. Pistoia. Galleria Turelli. 1983
Germany. Bonn. Dresdner Bank.
 
1982
Germany. Frankfurt. Thermal of Bad Nauheim.
Germany. Munich. Dresdner Bank.
 
1981
Italy. Milan. Galleria Cortina.
 
1979
Italy. Rome. Italian-Latin American Institute.
Italy. Montecatini Terme. Museo Dino Scalabrino.
 
1978
Italy. Pisa. Casciana Terme.
 
1977
Italy. Sarzana. Palazzo Comunale.
 
1976
Costa Rica. San José. Teatro Nacional.
 

Public & Private Collections 

Vatican City
St. Peter’s Basilica – Vatican City.
 
United States of America
Boca Raton – Boca Raton Museum of Art.
Washington – Museum of the Americas.
Houston. Texas – Latin American Medical Surgical Clinic.
Elkart. Indianapolis – GDS Diagnostic Division of GDS Tecnology. 
New York – Goldman Group.
 
Italy
Pietrasanta – Traffic circle between Via Aurelia and Via Unità d’Italia.
Foggia – Building of the Province.
Rome – Foreign Ministry of International Affairs.
Verona – Grand Hotel.
Isernia – D’Aloisio Family.
 
Costa Rica
Heredia – Centro Comercial Paseo de las Flores. • San José – Avenida Escazú.
San José – Metropolitan Cathedral.
San José – Jardines de la Casa Presidencial.
San José – Museo de Los Niños.
San José – Jardines del Teatro Nacional.
San José – Museos del Banco Central de Costa Rica.
San José – Museo de Arte Costarricense.
San José – Banco Nacional de Costa Rica.
San José – Banco de San José.
San José – Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social.
Coronado – Clínica de la Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social.
San José – Banco Banex.
Cartago – Laboratorios Stein.
Alajuela – Jardines del Recuerdo.
Limón – Limón Cathedral.
San José – Jardín de esculturas del Museo de Arte Costarricense.
Guanacaste. Papagayo – main entrance to “proyecto Eco Desarrollo”.
 
El Salvador
San Salvador – Roble group.
 
Russia
Yugra, Tyumen Region.
 
France
La Baule – Gare de La Baule – Escoublac.
Paris – Latin American Gardens. Porte de Champerret.
Paris – Cristian Dior. Armand de Ponthaud Collection.
 
England
London – A. Saran Group.