Rufino Tamayo

(Mexican, 1899–1991)

Rufino Tamayo was a Mexican painter and printmaker known for his large-scale murals and vivid use of color. Like his peers Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and Jose Clemente Orozco, Tamayo helped bring international attention to Mexican art. Influenced by his pre-Columbian heritage as well as Cubism and Surrealism, Tamayo portrayed vernacular subjects like watermelons and animals in a unique formal vocabulary. “Art is a means of expression that must be understood by everybody, everywhere,” he stated. “It grows out of the earth, the textures of our lives, and our experience.” Born on August 26, 1899 in Oaxaca, Mexico, Tamayo left the San Carlos Academy of Fine Arts after a year and began to teach himself. He moved to New York in the 1930s after having a falling out with the politically driven Rivera and Siqueiros in his home county. Eventually returning to Mexico in 1959, he founded the Museo Tamayo Arte Contemporáneo in Mexico City and the Museo Rufino Tamayo in his birthplace of Oaxaca during the early 1980s. The artist continued to produce some of his most compelling works including Moon and Sun (1990) right up until his death on June 24, 1991 in Mexico City, Mexico at the age of 91. Today, his works are held in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, among others.

Rufino Tamayo News

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Rufino Tamayo Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Rufino Tamayo (5,666 results)
Figura De Pie

Rufino Tamayo

Figura De Pie

Sale Date: November 6, 2022

Auction Closed

Air Mexicain. S.l., Librairie Arcanes, 1952, 1952

Rufino Tamayo

Air Mexicain. S.l., Librairie Arcanes, 1952, 1952

Sale Date: November 3, 2022

Auction Closed

Child Playing, 1945

Rufino Tamayo

Child Playing, 1945

Sale Date: November 15, 2022

Auction Closed

Frutero y dominó, 1928

Rufino Tamayo

Frutero y dominó, 1928

Sale Date: November 15, 2022

Auction Closed

Cabeza con Pájaros., 1958

Rufino Tamayo

Cabeza con Pájaros., 1958

Sale Date: November 3, 2022

Auction Closed

Torso de Mujer., 1969

Rufino Tamayo

Torso de Mujer., 1969

Sale Date: November 3, 2022

Auction Closed

Mujer con Mallas Rosas., 1969

Rufino Tamayo

Mujer con Mallas Rosas., 1969

Sale Date: November 3, 2022

Auction Closed

Mujer con Medias Malva., 1969

Rufino Tamayo

Mujer con Medias Malva., 1969

Sale Date: November 3, 2022

Auction Closed

Hombre Contemplando la Luna., 1947

Rufino Tamayo

Hombre Contemplando la Luna., 1947

Sale Date: November 3, 2022

Auction Closed

Sin Título (Los Signos Existen)., 1974

Rufino Tamayo

Sin Título (Los Signos Existen)., 1974

Sale Date: November 3, 2022

Auction Closed

Juglar., 1979

Rufino Tamayo

Juglar., 1979

Sale Date: November 3, 2022

Auction Closed

Cabeza., 1980

Rufino Tamayo

Cabeza., 1980

Sale Date: November 3, 2022

Auction Closed

Hombre, Luna y Estrellas., 1950

Rufino Tamayo

Hombre, Luna y Estrellas., 1950

Sale Date: November 3, 2022

Auction Closed

Cabeza en Gris., 1979

Rufino Tamayo

Cabeza en Gris., 1979

Sale Date: November 3, 2022

Auction Closed

Cabeza en Rojo., 1979

Rufino Tamayo

Cabeza en Rojo., 1979

Sale Date: November 3, 2022

Auction Closed

Hombre., 1979

Rufino Tamayo

Hombre., 1979

Sale Date: November 3, 2022

Auction Closed

Carnavalesque., 1969

Rufino Tamayo

Carnavalesque., 1969

Sale Date: November 3, 2022

Auction Closed

Mujer., 1964

Rufino Tamayo

Mujer., 1964

Sale Date: November 3, 2022

Auction Closed

Hombre en rojo, 1983, 1983

Rufino Tamayo

Hombre en rojo, 1983, 1983

Sale Date: October 27, 2022

Auction Closed

Cabeza en la ventana, de la serie Rufino..., 1984

Rufino Tamayo

Cabeza en la ventana, de la serie Rufino..., 1984

Sale Date: October 27, 2022

Auction Closed

Mujer con los brazos en alto, 1976, 1976

Rufino Tamayo

Mujer con los brazos en alto, 1976, 1976

Sale Date: October 27, 2022

Auction Closed

Personaje en la ventana, de la serie Rufino..., 1980

Rufino Tamayo

Personaje en la ventana, de la serie Rufino..., 1980

Sale Date: October 27, 2022

Auction Closed

Mujer, de la serie Rufino Tamayo 15..., 1980

Rufino Tamayo

Mujer, de la serie Rufino Tamayo 15..., 1980

Sale Date: October 27, 2022

Auction Closed

Air Mexicain, 1952: a) Tres aves y el solb)..., 1947

Rufino Tamayo

Air Mexicain, 1952: a) Tres aves y el solb)..., 1947

Sale Date: October 27, 2022

Auction Closed

English (US)

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