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Lot Essay
Rufino Tamayo's oeuvre spanned more than eight decades of extraordinary artistic production. During his lifetime his work was included in more than 172 international one-man exhibitions--sixty-seven held in the United States alone. Tamayo reached his artistic maturity in the 1920s--an era that saw great social changes in Mexico with the end of the Mexican Revolution and the rise of Muralism as an artistic movement. Fiercely independent and universal in spirit, the artist did not become part of what he believed was a politically engaged nationalist ethos rather than an artistic expression. Tamayo's interest always remained related to form, color and aesthetic values. Although cognizant of many of the modernist styles such as Cubism and Surrealism, Tamayo's trademark would remain his commitment to a personal freedom of expression. A master colorist, Tamayo, "invented many reds," as Raquel Tibol has noted. These are profusely splashed in his many canvases--especially noted in his remarkable works from the 1960s onward.
Arriving in New York City in 1926, the artist remained only two short years, but credited this period as crucial for his artistic development and the contacts he made with artists such as Marcel Duchamp, Stuart Davis, and Reginald Marsh who all lived in his 14th Street neighborhood. Returning again in the late 1930s, the artist would remain for about ten years spending summers only in his native Mexico. In New York, he began to participate in exhibitions successfully and was represented by John and Julien Levy. In 1949, the artist first visited Europe and soon after exhibited in Paris, London, Rome and other cities in the continent. In the early 1960s, Tamayo returned to his native Mexico.
Tamayo remained a storyteller all his life combining elements from both his Indian and Spanish roots. The artist never abandoned the human figure and such mature masterpieces as Mujer y su reflejo, 1973; Mujer y su fantasma, 1976; Máscara negra, 1983 (also offered in this sale); and Saltimbanqui, 1982 attest to his genius and imagination with form, color and texture. By the 1970s, his canvases had become filled with strange characters that are terrifying yet comical and vulnerable. These works are enigmatic. His bizarre little monsters are horrid yet timid; they appear frightful as well as frightened--even of their own shadows. Truly a modernist--the artist lets his cast of special beings--mad or lost, display their fears through their absurd postures and poses. Through them, we recognize ourselves, our myriad complexities and our own angst. In the light-hearted Saltimbanqui, however, a sheer joy for life to the point of exhilaration and giddiness is splendidly manifested in the dynamic figure that seems to leap from the canvas in total abandonment.
Arriving in New York City in 1926, the artist remained only two short years, but credited this period as crucial for his artistic development and the contacts he made with artists such as Marcel Duchamp, Stuart Davis, and Reginald Marsh who all lived in his 14th Street neighborhood. Returning again in the late 1930s, the artist would remain for about ten years spending summers only in his native Mexico. In New York, he began to participate in exhibitions successfully and was represented by John and Julien Levy. In 1949, the artist first visited Europe and soon after exhibited in Paris, London, Rome and other cities in the continent. In the early 1960s, Tamayo returned to his native Mexico.
Tamayo remained a storyteller all his life combining elements from both his Indian and Spanish roots. The artist never abandoned the human figure and such mature masterpieces as Mujer y su reflejo, 1973; Mujer y su fantasma, 1976; Máscara negra, 1983 (also offered in this sale); and Saltimbanqui, 1982 attest to his genius and imagination with form, color and texture. By the 1970s, his canvases had become filled with strange characters that are terrifying yet comical and vulnerable. These works are enigmatic. His bizarre little monsters are horrid yet timid; they appear frightful as well as frightened--even of their own shadows. Truly a modernist--the artist lets his cast of special beings--mad or lost, display their fears through their absurd postures and poses. Through them, we recognize ourselves, our myriad complexities and our own angst. In the light-hearted Saltimbanqui, however, a sheer joy for life to the point of exhilaration and giddiness is splendidly manifested in the dynamic figure that seems to leap from the canvas in total abandonment.