Narváez was the son of a
cabinetmaker and restorer. While he was still very young, the family moved to Caracas and he began his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts. In 1928, he left for Paris where he attended the
Académie Julian and established connections with the artistic community in
Montparnasse. He returned to Venezuela in 1931 and, a few years later, began to work with the architect
Carlos Raúl Villanueva, who commissioned him to supply sculptures for his projects, including the Plaza of Carabobo Park, the facade for the
Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Natural Sciences and the Plaza O'Leary. In 1939, he travelled to New York to decorate the Venezuelan pavilion at the
World's Fair and exhibited his works "Café y Frutas" (now in the
Andrés Bello Lyceum) and "Perlas y Cacao" (now in the
Fermín Toro Lyceum). In 1941, Narváez received the Premio Nacional de Escultura of Venezuela, and, in 1948, the Premio Nacional de Pintura of Venezuela. The recognitions established him as a leader of
modernism in Venezuela. In 1952, he completed an
equestrian statue of
Rafael Urdaneta which is now on display in the Plaza La Candelaria. Later, he collaborated with Villanueva to create several pieces for the
University City of Caracas, which was conceived as a "synthesis of the Arts". "Education", "Science", "The Athlete" and the bust of
José María Vargas are some of his works located on the campus of the
Central University of Venezuela. In 1981 and 1982, he created two sculptures of monumental proportions. One of them, "Gran Volumen", was made for the
Amuay Refinery Complex and the other, one of his last completed works, the "Armonía de Volúmenes y Espacio", was for
Caracas Metro. It is located in a plaza that was later named for him. ==See also==