Jose Gurvich: filling every space: through constant experimentation and a reawakened Jewish identity, this Uruguayan artist created a distinctive visual language with universal impact.

Often called a land of artists, Uruguay is also an "open country." During the modern era, ripples set in motion by innovations in Europe constantly lapped upon its shores. Many native artists served as vehicles for transmission, but perhaps best known is Joaquin Torres-Garcia, who spent more than half his creative life in Europe before returning to Montevideo, where he established a taller (workshop school) in 1943.

Then, nearly seventy years old and a seasoned master versed in the progressive movements of his day, Torres-Garcia formulated a hybrid style largely his own: flat, geometric frameworks populated by archetypal symbols, a ...