Mexico 2018 - Museo Rufino Tamayo

Rufino Tamayo was another very important Mexican artist. Born in Oaxaca of Zapotec heritage, he was active in mid twentieth century in Mexico and New York.  After his parents died, he moved to Mexico City where an aunt enrolled him in art school and he dabbled with various art movements and acquired his skills.  When he left school he went to work for José Vasconcelos at the Department of Ethnographic Drawings.  Vasconcelos was a very influential figure in education and art it seems, referring to my last post.  It turns out that there are other libraries in Mexico City that bear his name.  But, back to Tamayo.  In his art he expressed what he envisioned as the traditional Mexico and eschewed the overt political art of such contemporaries as José Clemente Orozco, Diego Rivera, David Siqueiros. He disagreed with these muralists in their belief that the revolution was necessary for the future of Mexico but considered, instead, that the revolution would harm Mexico.  In any case, the museum he created in Mexico City is very modern and quite beautiful.  

 

A few of his works:

Rufino Tamayo (right)