Manuel Lepe Macedo

Mexican, b. 1936

biography

Some credit naïf artist Manuel Lepe with putting Puerto Vallarta on the map for Mexican and foreign tourists. It was Manuel Lepe and his paintings of Vallarta’s children, nature and landmarks that exposed Puerto Vallarta to the world. Collectors of his paintings include Queen Elizabeth, Fidel Castro, Elizabeth Taylor, Peter O’Toole among many others.

For his unique contribution to the art world, Manuel Lepe was declared “National Painter of Mexico” by Mexican President Luis Echeverria. UNICEF will use 3 of Lepe’s paintings in it’s 2009 holiday card series. On April 17 of this year, Puerto Vallarta Mayor Javier Bravo convened a tribute to Manuel Lepe and more than one person at the event said “Manuel Lepe and Puerto Vallarta are one and the same.”