Lucha Reyes

• LUCHA 70x100v (2009) series –  1/25
• Serigraph of 27.6 x 39.4 inches (100 x 70 cm.)
• Numbered – original artist signature – watermark – certificate
• Hand printing on 3 mm polystyrene.

Lucila Justina Sarcines Reyes, popularly known as Lucha Reyes or “La Morena de Oro del Perú,” was an Afro-Peruvian singer of “Criollo” music. She was born in the district of Rímac in 1936 and later raised in Barrios Altos, an area known as the “cradle of criollismo”.

Lucha Reyes began her artistic career on the radio in the 1950s. She later was “discovered” by presenter, Augusto Ferrando, who invited her to be part of the “Peña Ferrando,” where she remained until 1970. At the peak of her career, she struggled to record discs with labels such as El Virrey and RCA Victor. Even then, she continued to make appearances on events and radio shows. Health problems such as diabetes, fatigue, and respiratory issues were constant throughout her career.

Lucha Reyes passed away from a heart attack at the age of 37 on October 31, 1973, landing on the “Day of the Criolla Song.”

“Many know of my love for Peruvian artists such as Chabuca Granda, Yma Sumac, and Elena Izcue. Still, this time, it was Lucha who had to accompany the “Zambo” because they were both popular icons. Zambo and Lucha are characters that started from the bottom. When they were very young, they pushed themselves beyond their limits until they became “rock stars” in a cultural scene that enjoyed a boom that already sounds distant. Amid this boom, our “Golden Brunette” emerged, an icon of the female fighter and victim of a dramatic story whose end would fall into the hands of the wear of stress, heartbreak, and health complications that led to the death of the ‘The Queen of Popularity’ at the mere age of  37.” –Cherman