Abelardo Marquez Velazquez was born in Lima, Peru in 1942. He studied at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes, but was in conflict with the "modern" painting techniques taught at the school. Velazquez defied the traditional promotional system and decided not to participate in exhibitions he was invited to, and began selling his paintings out of his atelier. Despite his sense of rebellion, today he is one of the best known and most prolific painters of Peru.