Rufino Tamayo (1899-1991)

Private Collection, New York
Estate of Ray Slater Blakeman, New York
Sale: Christie's, New York, Latin American Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture, May 22, 1986, lot 85
Private Collection, Santa Fe
Robert and Irma Bijou Collection, Santa Barbara
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, Latin American Art, November 19, 2003, lot 19, illustrated in color

Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, February 17-May 27, 2007; Miami, Miami Art Museum; June 22-September 16, 2007; Mexico City, Museo Tamayo Arte Contemporáneo, October 26, 2007-January 21, 2008, Tamayo; A Modern Icon Reinterpreted, p. 121, illustrated in color

This work on a wooden panel is flat, and the paint layer is stable. The paint layer may be slightly dirty, but looks well. Apart from a few tiny retouches around the extreme edges, a spot or two in the neck in the lower left and in the edge of the neck in the lower right, there are very few retouches. It is recommended that the work be hung as is. (This condition report has been provided courtesy of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.)
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

JUAN CARLOS PEREDA

Autorretrato (Cabeza de muchacho) by Rufino Tamayo was painted when the artist was 32 years old. Far from an idealized self-portrait by a young ambitious artist, the work presents a physiognomy specifically chosen for an American public--an audience filled with gallery owners and potential collectors. While living a desperate economic situation in New York, Tamayo had the opportunity to be introduced to many other artists by Julien Levy, the art dealer and owner of Julien Levy Gallery, an important venue for Surrealists, avant-garde artists and American photographers in the 1930s and 1940s. 

Tamayo's memories of that time reveal the dyre economic crisis in the United States during the Great Depression. Nonetheless, the present painting shows a man of strong determination, proudly boasting the native peculiarities of his face which he strategically sought to emphasize; the dark skin and hair, certain indigenous features like a broad nose, thick lips, and prominent forehead. The economic precariousness of the moment is subtly manifested in the wooden support of the painting, possibly from an old door.

Interestingly, the surface of this panel also has an unpolished quality used by Tamayo to give his face an unconventional texture. The coloring is almost monochrome and tones of sepia and pink have been uniformily applied. When viewed carefully, one can notice a red background that reveals itself in certain areas such as the eye sockets and the angle of the mouth give the painting great expressiveness. Diluted in this panel are aesthetic elements from German expressionism and Mexican prehispanic statuary, Tamayo's long lasting inspiration.