Carlos Paez Vilaró was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, on November 1st. 1923

During his youth he felt a strong vocation which led him to Buenos Aires, Argentina where he joined the graphic arts media as a cashier apprentice of a printing office located in Barracas and Avellaneda , two picturesque neighborhoods.
He moved back to his native country, Uruguay, in the decade of the 40’s with a deep objective to dedicate his work to the "candombe" (lively dance of south-american negroes) and to the afro-uruguayan "comparsa" (dancing group at the beating of drums).

He also turned to subjects closely related to life in the Mediomundo" "conventillo" (negroes tenement housing).
By giving loose rein to his passion, Paez Vilaró painted many cartoons, he composed "candombes" for the "lubolas comparsas", he conducted their chorus and decorated their drums. In this way he worked to impose the folk wave that was strongly battling against misunderstanding.

His cartoons and canvases showed funeral-watchings, Christmas themes, market places, washing women and popular dances under the moonlight.
Once he felt these themes were inevitably worn out he decided to go first to Brazil where then he would initiate a long journey to all those countries with a majority of black population as Senegal, Liberia, Congo, República Dominicana, Haiti, Camerum, Nigeria and others.

During this period he painted hundreds of works. He carried out several exhibitions and left his talent on important murals.
To satisfy his passion he worked on painting, sculpture, ceramic, cinema and literature that left unforgettable tracks.
He met Picasso, Dali, De Chirico and Calder in their workshops and he lived with Albert Schweitzer amongst lepers in Lambarén´.

When he integrated the "Dahia" French Expediton,
he performed a film called "Batouk" which was named to close the Cannes Cinema Festival.
His firm loyalty to the agro-uruguayan themes was shown in al his works and changes developed in his painting during the experience obtained for fifty years.
At the present time he also dedicates his best hours to battling a drum when celebrating the yearly "Llamadas" ceremony. (Callings).

When the "Mediomundo" tenement housing, which has represented the starting point of his work, was demolished a rich part of his history was also lost.
Páez Vilaró finally settle down in Punta Ballena, Uruguay, where he has his workshop in the major dome of Casapueblo, the "sculptural habitat" that he created and modelled with his own hands on the cliffs overlooking the sea.