Rufino Tamayo

1899 - 1991

Rufino Tamayo, a Mexican artist of Zapotecan Indian descent, combined European painting styles and Mexican folk motifs in his paintings and prints.

Tamayo, developed a strong interest in pre-Columbian art while working at the National Museum of Archaeology in Mexico City. He reacted against the political overtones of the Mexican muralists Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and José Clemente Orozco; instead, he was concerned with form and symbolism, and combining Mexican styles with Cubism and Surrealism.