Jesús Ruiz Nestosa, Paraguayan photography pioneer, dies at 85

Jesús Ruiz Nestosa, a pioneering Paraguayan photographer, journalist, writer, and educator, has passed away at the age of 85 in Salamanca, Spain. His death followed complications from a recent surgical procedure.

Born in Asunción in 1941, Ruiz Nestosa was a foundational figure in Paraguayan arts and media. He was a member of the original team at ABC Color, where he led the cultural department and authored several notable columns. He was officially recognized as a ‘Maestro del Arte’ by the Centro Cultural del Congreso Nacional in 2020.

His creative work spanned multiple disciplines. As a photographer, he studied at the Rochester Institute of Technology and was instrumental in establishing photography as an artistic language in Paraguay. As a writer, he published works such as ‘Las musarañas’ and ‘Madre de ciudades’, the latter of which explored the history and memory of Asunción. He also collaborated with composer Luis Szarán on various musical texts.