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Artist's Career
Néstor Sarmiento was born in Buenos Aires on August 2, 1959. Initiated into painting by his father Roberto Sarmiento and his uncle Rodolfo Casale, he evolved under the guidance of masters Vito Campanella, Domingo Onofrio and Félix González Mora.
After relocating in Brazil in 1983, he returned to Argentina in 1992. He participated in Salons and Exhibitions in both countries. The Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris, France, accepted his attendance in 1994, and he was invited by the Argentine Embassy in France to illustrate its cultural publication "Cahier d'Argentine."
He participated in Municipal, National, and International Salons, winning awards such as the "Italy Prize for Art" in Florence, the "First Prize" from the Universidad Popular de la Boca in Buenos Aires, and the Gold Medal "Lorenzo il Magnifico" at the "III International Biennial of Contemporary Art 2001, City of Florence," for winning 4th Prize among more than 2000 works submitted by 650 artists from 57 countries.
He was invited to exhibit at the XXVII Buenos Aires International Book Fair, where his work "Don Quixote in La Mancha" was praised by the English writer Mr. Brian W. Aldiss (author of the book for the film Artificial Intelligence by Steven Spielberg). That year, he was appointed Director of the Buenos Aires Artists' Cultural Center. Also in 2001, he exhibited at the Art Point gallery in Florence, Italy, and the Artesanos Art Gallery in Miami, USA, and was appointed as a Jury member in various Painting Salons held in Buenos Aires.
In 2002, in Florence, he was honored by the Heraldic Academy of Arts, Letters, and Sciences "il Marzocco de Firenze," the oldest in the world founded by Cosimo de Medici in 1446, which awarded him the Noble Title of "Academic Gentilizio" and the "Grand Collar with the Marzocco (Lion) of Donatello." During that year, he presented a series of seven polyptych murals at the Borges Cultural Center in Buenos Aires; an exhibition also presented at the Museum of Fine Arts of the Province of Buenos Aires.
He was invited by the “Centre d'Art Fantastique - Switzerland” to exhibit alongside 80 artists selected from around the world. In 2003, the Academy of Fine Arts "Gli Etruschi" in Livorno, Italy, awarded him the "Trophy of the Tuscany Region" in recognition of his outstanding career in that country.
On August 5, 2003, in a public ceremony, the Buenos Aires Legislature awarded him an Honour for his international awards and his work promoting Argentine painting worldwide. On October 3, 2006, the Honorable Chamber of Deputies of the Nation invited him to exhibit his works in the Salón de los Pasos Perdidos of the National Congress. On the occasion of the exhibition, Deputy Cristina Alvarez Rodríguez presented him with an Honorary Diploma in recognition of his international achievements.
On May 18, 2007, the Municipality of Pilar declared his work of Cultural Interest to the city, while the Deliberative Council awarded him a recognition during an exhibition of his at the Casa de la Cultura of that municipality.
In May 2008, he was selected as a Finalist of the XXXI Edition of the “Golden Medusa Award,” organized by the International Academy of Modern Art in Rome. Various print, radio, and television media in Argentina as well as in the United States, Mexico, Brazil, France, Italy and Spain have interviewed him or broadcast something about the artist and his work.
The program "Hidden Artists" broadcast by Canal à Buenos Aires dedicated a chapter to promote the artist and his work, his origins, and his achievements, a production that continues to be successfully disseminated and can also be found on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu-GSqi9gvo
Since 2010, he has been the Artistic Director of the Art of the Americas Foundation, organizing multiple events with international artists from all disciplines.
He continues to paint, exhibit and teach, and since 2016 he has worked as an Artistic Tattooist, licensed in Argentina and authorized by the Ministries of Public Health of Argentina and Uruguay after completing Biosecurity courses for Tattooists and Piercers at the Faculty of Medicine.
His work has been recognized or declared of interest by: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship, Argentine Chancellery - Argentine Embassy in France - Argentine Embassy in Italy - Argentine Embassy in Switzerland - Italian Embassy in Argentina - Swiss Embassy in Argentina - Deliberative Council of the Municipality of Pilar - Municipality of Pilar - Secretariat of Culture of the Argentine Nation - Secretariat of Culture of the City of Buenos Aires - Legislature of the City of Buenos Aires - Honorable Chamber of Deputies of the Argentine Nation.