Elda Cerrato (b. 1931 Asti, Italy – d. 2023 Buenos Aires, Argentina) was an Italian-born Argentine artist. Her life and practice were influenced by her migrations, first from Italy to São Paulo in 1937, and then in 1940 to Buenos Aires and later in her life moving to Caracas, Venezuela.
Cerrato developed a complex body of work, shaped by her lifelong studies of biochemistry and esoteric forms of knowledge. Studying biochemistry at the University of Buenos Aires, whilst exploring an art practice laid the groundwork for an exploration of art and science as two related paradigms throughout the course of her career. Her cross-disciplinary practice includes drawings, paintings, films, performance, installation and radio programs.
Her extensive oeuvre integrated fundamental connections between art, spirituality, scientific knowledge and politics. Through immersions into the unconscious, drawing on personal and collective memory, she connected the cosmos to alternative concepts of the real. In symbolic and political work Cerrato sensitively explored the transformative potential of art.
Throughout her career, Cerrato presented 21 solo exhibitions and participated in over 150 group exhibitions worldwide. Cerrato received recognition for her contributions to art, including the esteemed Premio Nacional a la Trayectoria Artística (National Award for Artistic Career) in Buenos Aires in 2019. In 2021, an anthological exhibition titled El día maravilloso de los pueblo (Wonderful Peoples Day) was showcased at the Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires. In recognition of her contributions to the arts, she was awarded the prestigious Premio Velázquez de Artes Plásticas (Velázquez Prize for Plastic Arts) in 2022 by the Ministerio de Cultura de España.
Cerrato's artworks are part of important institutional collections worldwide, including the Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid; Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Argentina; Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires, Argentina; Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires, Argentina; Museo de Bellas Artes de Caracas, Venezuela; Museo Tamayo, Mexico; and the Art Museum of the Americas, Washington; among others.