Born in the slums of Lima in 1951 and raised in an orphanage following the death of his mother, Lucuma was absorbed by Lima’s underworld at an early age. A violent career criminal, Lucuma did a total of nearly 30 years in Peru’s most notorious prisons. While serving time in “El Frontón” (Peru’s Alcatraz), Lucuma found God and art, both of which he credits for his full rehabilitation and the freedom he has enjoyed since 1996.

Lucuma began his artistic career as a free man in Peru’s remote Amazon region, traveling by boat through its towns and cities, cobbling together a living by hand-painting signs and murals. He eventually settled on the Amazon city of Pucallpa as his base. His artistic vision, which is considered the most visceral of all the Amazon artists, is inspired by his own experiences. While his life prior to becoming an artist was unimaginably cruel and violent, his subsequent redemption through God and art makes his work that much more triumphant and unique. In many ways, his art—entirely self-taught and bravely lived—is a way of reconciling his own extremes. The results have been widely exhibited and are sought out by Peru’s top museums and private collectors.