José Gurvich (né Zusmanas Gurvicius) was a Uruguayan artist and musician who played a large part in the Constructivism Art movement of the mid 1900s. Born in Lithuania to Lithuanian Jews, Gurvich and his family moved to South America in 1932 to escape religious persecution. His father settled in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1931 and was joined a year later by the rest of his family. Gurvich's father, Jacobo, began work as a barber, while José enrolled in elementary school, where he quickly developed a love for drawing and art.
After graduating in the early 1940s, Gurvich began working in a factory to support his family. In 1942, he enrolled in the National School of Fine Arts in Montevideo, where he would study under José Cuneo. In 1943, Gurvich also began studying music and violin under Russian professor David Julber. Through these studies, Gurvich was introduced to Horacio Torres, and a year later, in 1944, to Joaquín Torres-García.
Following Torres-García's death in 1949, Gurvich traveled throughout Europe and Israel. His time in Israel, specifically living and working in the Kibbutz, where his family was staying, inspired many of his works. After exhibiting in Tel Aviv in the mid 1950s, Gurvich moved again. He moved to Spain where he continued his artistic exploration with inspiration from famous Spaniards, such as Diego Velázquez and Francisco Goya. In 1957, Gurvich returned to Montevideo, where he worked in the neighborhood of Cerro for many years. A year later the he returned to Israel to stay in the Kibbutz, working on artistic projects as well as conducting pastoral duties. He returned to Uruguay to teach art classes in Cerro, later making his final move, with his wife and son, in late 1970. The remainder of his life was spent in New York, where he died on June 24th, 1974, at the young age of 47.
