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)
Personaje en una Cueva., 1964

Rufino Tamayo

Personaje en una Cueva., 1964

Sale Date: November 2, 2023

Auction Closed

Naturaleza Muerta., 1950

Rufino Tamayo

Naturaleza Muerta., 1950

Sale Date: November 2, 2023

Auction Closed

Niña., 1981

Rufino Tamayo

Niña., 1981

Sale Date: November 2, 2023

Auction Closed

Coyote., 1950

Rufino Tamayo

Coyote., 1950

Sale Date: November 2, 2023

Auction Closed

Hombre en Negro., 1976

Rufino Tamayo

Hombre en Negro., 1976

Sale Date: November 2, 2023

Auction Closed

Cabeza Roja., 1975

Rufino Tamayo

Cabeza Roja., 1975

Sale Date: November 2, 2023

Auction Closed

Hombre con Pipa., 1979

Rufino Tamayo

Hombre con Pipa., 1979

Sale Date: November 2, 2023

Auction Closed

Hombre en Rojo., 1977

Rufino Tamayo

Hombre en Rojo., 1977

Sale Date: November 2, 2023

Auction Closed

Galaxia., 1977

Rufino Tamayo

Galaxia., 1977

Sale Date: November 2, 2023

Auction Closed

Máscara, from 8 Aguafuertes (Mask, from 8..., 1984

Rufino Tamayo

Máscara, from 8 Aguafuertes (Mask, from 8..., 1984

Sale Date: October 25, 2023

Auction Closed

Torso, from 15 Aguafuertes (15 Etchings) (P. , 1975

Rufino Tamayo

Torso, from 15 Aguafuertes (15 Etchings) (P. , 1975

Sale Date: October 25, 2023

Auction Closed

Torre Blanca, from 16 Aguafuertes (White..., 1976

Rufino Tamayo

Torre Blanca, from 16 Aguafuertes (White..., 1976

Sale Date: October 25, 2023

Auction Closed

Interior con Sandía, from 15 Aguafuertes..., 1975

Rufino Tamayo

Interior con Sandía, from 15 Aguafuertes..., 1975

Sale Date: October 25, 2023

Auction Closed

Mujer sonriente, from Mujeres (Smiling..., 1969

Rufino Tamayo

Mujer sonriente, from Mujeres (Smiling..., 1969

Sale Date: October 30, 2023

Auction Closed

Mujer temblorosa (Trembling Woman), 1974

Rufino Tamayo

Mujer temblorosa (Trembling Woman), 1974

Sale Date: October 30, 2023

Auction Closed

Figura en ocre (Figure in Ochre), 1976

Rufino Tamayo

Figura en ocre (Figure in Ochre), 1976

Sale Date: October 30, 2023

Auction Closed

No. 45, 1972, 1972

Rufino Tamayo

No. 45, 1972, 1972

Sale Date: October 11, 2023

Auction Closed

Cabeza rojo, 1975

Rufino Tamayo

Cabeza rojo, 1975

Sale Date: October 12, 2023

Auction Closed

Tajada de sandias, 1969

Rufino Tamayo

Tajada de sandias, 1969

Sale Date: October 3, 2023

Auction Closed

El grito, 1975

Rufino Tamayo

El grito, 1975

Sale Date: October 3, 2023

Auction Closed

Perro Ladrándole a la Luna (Pereda 333), 1988

Rufino Tamayo

Perro Ladrándole a la Luna (Pereda 333), 1988

Sale Date: October 21, 2023

Auction Closed

La Paysanne (Pereda 120), 1969

Rufino Tamayo

La Paysanne (Pereda 120), 1969

Sale Date: October 21, 2023

Auction Closed

Untitled (Two Slices of Watermelon on The Table)

Rufino Tamayo

Untitled (Two Slices of Watermelon on The Table)

Sale Date: September 20, 2023

Auction Closed

Masque Rogue, 1969

Rufino Tamayo

Masque Rogue, 1969

Sale Date: September 20, 2023

Auction Closed

English (US)

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