Tamayo [Hardcover]

Teresa del Conde (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0821226517 | ISBN-13: 978-0821226513 | Edition: 1st US Ed.

The Mexican painter Rufino Tamayo (1899-1991) was first recognized in a 1930s' publication on the contemporary artists of Mexico. He lived in Paris and in New York for several years but did not become known in the States until after an exhibition of his work at the Philips Collection in Washington DC, in 1978, followed by a major retrospective of his work at the Guggenheim Museum in 1979. Unlike his contemporaries, the nationalistic muralists Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros, Tamayo preferred to express his Hispanic heritage through oil paintings and frescos based on pre-Columbian drawings and Mexican folk art, painted in vibrant colours and with Cubist influences. His main subjects were myths, fables, the human (often female) figure, fruits and animals. This volume is published to celebrate Tamayo's centenary year.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Long recognized as one of the preeminent painters of Mexico, Rufino Tamayo (1899-1991) stands apart from his contemporaries--Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and Jos? Clemente Orozco--by virtue of his rejection of their nationalistic didacticism and his adherence to a vision within the broader currents of an international modernism. Tamayo's evocative imagery and extraordinary painterly refinement are sumptuously evoked in this volume's more than 200 excellent color reproductions. Unfortunately, the eight accompanying essays never rise above the level of the merely adequate. The best of the essays, by editor Conde, director of the Museum of Modern Art, Mexico City, engages in an interesting, if rather impressionistic, "dialog" between the author and earlier writers who have considered the artist's style, artistic relationships, public appreciation, and critical reception. Another useful but also occasionally poetically opaque exploration discusses the artist's stylistic development in light of contemporary currents of Mexican, European, and American art. A sketchy overview of the painter's life, a pedestrian analysis of his thematic preoccupations, and a gathering of unenlightening reminiscences add little to this ultimately unsatisfying effort. Recommended only for large popular art collections where there is an interest in Tamayo.
-Robert Cahn, Fashion Inst. of Technology, New York
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Teresa del Conde, director of Museo de Arte Moderno in Mexico, is editor of the book and contributes two essays. Rafael Tovar, Gerardo Estrada, Fernando del Paso, Xavier Moyssen, Juan Coronel Rivera, Ingrid Suckaer, and Robert Valerio also contribute essays.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 252 pages
• Publisher: Bulfinch; 1st US Ed. edition (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821226517
• ISBN-13: 978-0821226513
• Product Dimensions: 13.3 x 12.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,560,771 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tamayo's Impeccable Charm, November 27, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Tamayo (Hardcover)

Despite this books biting price, this collection of works and interviews is a piece of art by its self. Teresa del Conde's book has achieved a level of completeness neverbefore reached by a collection of the late Tamayo's work. I have looked for many a good book on the subject and this is, by far, my favorite. If you want a mediocre jumble of art, buy some other book on Rufino, but if you want a quality biography and collection there is only one book that stands out, Tamayo.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous Tamayo book!, March 20, 2009

By 

T. ONEILL (St. Paul, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Beautiful 128-page book containing ENGLISH text discussing Tamayo's life and work, followed by page after gorgeous page of his paintings -- nearly 100 pages of Tamayo's colorful, symbolic and naturalistic works.