Rufino Tamayo biography

Rufino Tamayo, born in Oaxaca de Juárez on August 25, 1899, was a Mexican painter and engraver. Having become an orphan in 1911, he moved to Mexico City, where he attended a commercial school before dedicating himself completely to art in 1917. He studied at the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas and, from 1921, worked for the Museo Nacional de Antropología.
Rufino Tamayo, influenced by his Zapotec origins, dedicates himself to the reworking of pre-Columbian forms in his work, as is evident in his drawings for the museum. This experience led him to develop a unique style, fusing Mexican tradition with European currents such as realism, expressionism, abstractionism and cubism. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he prefers easel painting, expressing his sensitive poetics with a refined language. In 1926, Rufino Tamayo moved to New York, a city that became a second home for him. Here, he held his first solo exhibition and, over the years, exhibited in various galleries, such as the Valentine Gallery . He also becomes a painting professor at Dalton School . During this period, he executed several important murals, such as those for the Conservatorio Nacional de Música and the Smith College . His work in the United States and Mexico led him to receive notable recognition, including the Belisario Domínguez Medal of Honor in 1988.
Rufino Tamayo, influenced by European modernism, often travels to Europe, settling in Paris in 1957. Here he created a mural for the UNESCO building. He returned definitively to Mexico City in 1964, where he continued to receive awards and honors, including the nomination of Chevalier and Officier de la Légion d'Honneur by the French government.
The artist, friend of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, stands out for his unique style in the Mexican muralist movement. His graphic oeuvre, begun in 1925, includes lithographs , etchings and mixed media prints . Rufino Tamayo died on June 24, 1991, leaving an artistic legacy of international importance, which integrates the art of pre-Columbian civilizations and popular art in the European plastic revolution. His hometown dedicates a museum to him, full of his works and important pre-Columbian objects, consolidating his status as one of Latin America's first internationally renowned painters.