When the role of women in Mexican art is discussed, we often mention Frida Kahlo as the best painter. Her name is the first one that comes to our minds when we speak on behalf of various generations of artists. Her popularity cannot be denied; however, her work is not the only one out there for you to admire. There are other Mexican artists whose productions are often overshadowed or compared to Frida’s. These are the women who sought to share with us their experiences by captivating our senses, and making us see the world through a different lens.
On their own terms, and with different aesthetic productions, they invite us to unveil the meaning and mystery of their art. These women may belong to different eras, but their work serves as a foundation for Mexico’s history of art. Some of them were born outside the country, but their love for it made them Mexican in their hearts. Their paintings, sculptures, films, books, and photographs are their legacy to this nation and the world. We should honor their efforts by mentioning them whenever we talk about the women artists of Mexico.
María Izquierdo
She was born in San Juan de los Lagos, in the state of Jalisco, in 1902. At the age of 15, she married Colonel Cándido Posadas Sánchez, with whom she had three kids. Together they moved to Mexico City.
María quickly felt attracted to the cultural offerings of the city and prior to entering the National Institute of Fine Arts, she filed for divorce. In the Institute, she met the director, Diego Rivera, and professor Rufino Tamayo. The traditional learning method of the school, which focused on making of art a catalyst for political change didn’t conform to her expectations, and she abandoned her studies after one year of attending class.
Tamayo continued to mentor Izquierdo after she left the school, until their professional relationship transformed into a romantic one; however, she wished to remain independent. They both believed art should served as a poetic outlet, rather than a political one.
In her paintings she portrays daily life events with simple brushstrokes and with a majestic use of color and composition. Her work differed from the traditional Mexican paintings of Rivera or Siqueiros. Izquierdo eventually developed her own style, although Tamayo’s influence was always present.
She had her first solo exhibition at the Galeria de Arte Moderno del Teatro Nacional. In 1930, she was invited to show her work at the Art Center in New York by Frances Flynn Payne, becoming the first Mexican woman to have a solo exhibition in the US. Her paintings depict surrealist landscapes and abandoned scenarios that fuse tradition and modernity.
Nahui Olin
Daughter of General Manuel Mondragón, Carmen Mondragón was also know as Nahui Olin and was born in 1913. Her beauty was described as mesmerizing and exotic, as a consequence, she was often painted by Rivera. Her exuberant body was also immortalized by Edward Weston, as well as other noted photographers. Nahui’s beauty partially overshadowed her talent as a painter; it was after her death that her self-portraits received more attention. She described her work as intuitive, and in 2007 her paintings were exhibited in the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago.
Remedios Varo
She was a Spanish-Mexican surrealist painter. Remedios Varo was introduced to this movement by Esteban Francés. She escaped from the Spanish Civil War alongside her husband, the surrealist poet Benjamin Péret. She worked in publicity and as an illustrator. It took her three years, after moving to Mexico, to start painting. Her first exhibition was at the Galeria Diana de la Ciudad de Mexico in 1949; her first solo show was a year later.
She was friends with other European artists like Gunther Gerzo and Wolfgang Paalen; however, she became close friends with Leonora Carrington. Varo’s work depicts androgynous characters and environments where time is suspended or lost altogether.
Leonora Carrington
The English-born Mexican artist was influenced by Max Ernts and his surrealist art. When she was a child, her caretaker introduced her to a fantasy world of fairy tales, which she eventually replicated in her paintings. She studied at the Chelsea Shool of Art, but later transferred to the Ozenfant Academy. In 1937, she met Ernst and together they traveled to Paris. The following year she had a group exhibition with other surrealist in the city of lights, following another in Amsterdam.
During World War II she met Renato Leduc, they married and travelled to New York and Mexico. The latter became her second home, and she felt the need to legally become Mexican. In 1943, she met Edward James, who became her sponsor .The surrealist Mexican scene adopted Carrington as one of their own, and so, she became one of its most talented representatives.
Lola Álvarez Bravo
She is considered to be the first professional Mexican woman photographer. She worked for El Maestro Rural, a magazine published by the Ministry of Education. She took photos of schools, factories, and farms to complement the articles written in the magazine. She inaugurated the Galeria de Arte Contemporáneo, where Frida Kahlo had an exhibition. For fifty years, she captured the industrial revolution of the country and its life. She is also famous for her portraits of Frida Kahlo, as well as other political leaders. She was one of the first photographers to experiment with photomontage in the world. “If my photographs have any meaning, it’s that they stand for a Mexico that once existed,” she once stated.
Elena Garro
Elena Garro is unfortunately more famous for her private life than for her magnificent literary work. She was born in Puebla, and from an early age she showed an insatiable curiosity for the world that surrounded her. Her family often encouraged this wonder. Many years later she married Nobel laureate, Octavio Paz, one of the most prominent writers of the century. He encouraged her to write and he helped promote her career.
She was a prolific writer, writing short stories, novels, news reports, plays, novels, and poems. Her work often combines facts and fiction. In 1963, she wrote Recollections of Things to Come and won the Xavier Villaurrutia Award for her splendid narrative and her use of magical realism.
Helen Escobedo
One of the most important female sculptors in the country studied at the Colegio de la Ciudad de México and won a scholarship to go to the Royal College of Art in London. Her work is colossal in both size and meaning, as she uses industrial and natural materials to produce them. She made 30 public sculptures which are located in Canada, the US, Cuba, England, New Zealand, and Israel.
She sculpted pieces that let the viewer interact with her art. She was also worried about the environment and how her work could impact the urban landscape.
Aurora Reyes
Almost every art and history book forgets to mention this muralist. She was born in Hidalgo del Parral, in the state of Chihuahua, and painted her first mural in 1936. The name of the piece was Atentado a las maestras rurales, located at the Centro Escolar Revolucionario. She painted and wrote about the women’s condition in the country. Reyes was outspoken and political; she even participated in the student uprising in 1968. The former president Echeverría was her protegé, but after the massacre of students on October 2, 1968 she broke off any relations with him.
Pola Weiss
She was a pioneer of art video in Latin America. In France, she was considered to be the most important director of the Americas and had over 46 exhibitions outside Mexico. However, her work was often misunderstood, and now it has been forgotten by the public. Her family has strived to preserve her legacy and has donated photographs, slides, and negatives of her work.
Teresa Margolles
She is a Mexican artist who combines photography, artistic performances, and video to analyze life and death. She explores subjects like violence and injustice in Mexico. She has been depicted as controversial because her work focuses on corpses, blood, and morgues.
Margolles was born in Culiacan, Sinaloa, where she studied art and forensic science.
