Luis Filcer

He then returned to Mexico where he had exhibitions in 1990 and 1991 at the Museo de Arte Moderno, the Museo Contemporáneo de Arte at UNAM in 1994, the Museo de la Estampa in Mexico City in 1998, in 2000 he had exhibitions at the Centro Cultural Mexiquense and the Museo Casa del Risco. In 2001, he had exhibitions at the Museo Francisco Goitia in Zacatecas and the Jaski Gallery in Amsterdam.

In 1957, Filcer returned to Mexico and at first worked on paintings for the Galería Havre. Success at this showing allowed the artist to return to Europe and visit Jerusalem. He also traveled to various cities in the United States. Filcer married a Dutch woman and stayed in the Netherlands for twenty years, with many individual exhibitions in the country including the Heart Ripper, De Beyerd, Van Bommel-van Dam and Frans Hals museums, as well as the Grand Palais in Paris in 1988.

He began his career in Mexico, where he sold his first painting and in 1949 worked at the Taller de Gráfica Popular. He represented Mexico in biennales in Chile, Japan and England, which led to a scholarship to study in Paris and Rome. His work was also part of an exhibition organized by the Palacio de Bellas Artes called Jewels of Mexican Art which traveled the world for fifteen years.

Recognitions for Filcer's work include gold and silver medals from the Círculo de Bellas Artes in 1949 and 1950 and the José Clemente Orozco gold medal in 1953. In 1998, he was named a Knight of the City of Maastricht. He is also a member of the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana.

Luis Filcer (December 4, 1927 – July 19, 2018 in San Miguel de Allende) was a Mexican Expressionist painter, whose works generally deal with themes of injustice and struggle. His family fled Ukraine for Mexico after the Russian Revolution to escape Jewish persecution and Filcer grew up in Mexico City. Although his interest in painting came early, he had to sell a painting before his family would accept his vocation. Strongly influenced by Van Gogh’s life, he began to draw and paint the struggles of everyday people, something he has continued since. His work has been exhibited in various countries of the world and has been recognized with several medals and membership in the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana.

Filcer was born in Zhytomyr, Ukraine in 1927 to a Jewish family. When he was only six months old, the family fled the country because of Jewish persecution after the Russian Revolution. No one in his family would talk about the horrors they experienced in the Ukraine. After arriving to Mexico City, the family settled in the La Lagunilla neighborhood. His father was able to speak only a few words in Spanish and sold clothing in the streets. He later formed a partnership with other immigrants to open a sweater factory. Since childhood, Filcer disliked school but learned to draw. He also studied accounting in order to help his father. He stated that although working at the family business was hard, he was able to meet many people in this way, for whom he often drew pictures for fun.