Rufino Tamayo (1899-1991)

Collection of Olga and Rufino Tamayo, Mexico City
Collection of Máximo Perdomo, Mexico City
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, Latin American Art, June 3, 1999, lot 9, illustrated in color
Private Collection, New York

Mexico City, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Internacional Rufino Tamayo, Rufino Tamayo Setenta años de Creación, December 1987 - March 1988

N. Piamonte, "Entrevista con Rufino Tamayo," Viva el Arte Revista Latinoamericana de Artes Plásticas, 1988, p.16, illustrated

This work is still stretched on its original stretcher. The paint layer is in beautiful condition. The surface is clean and unvarnished. The paint layer reads very strongly under ultraviolet light, as one would expect from a work from this period. There are no reinforcements on the reverse, and no damages to the surface. The painting should be hung in its current state. (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.

Jugglers, minstrels and acrobats are among Rufino Tamayo's most cherished subjects. Acting as visual pretexts, they demonstrate the artist's exceptional ability to synthesize the human body into positions of great plasticity; postures evoking impossibly contorted movements. Painted in 1982, The Juggler is caught in the act of balancing three bowling pins simultaneously flying in space only to fall into his hands in an eternal motion. Frontal and delightfully playful, the figure is silhouetted against the mistiness of an atmosphere of opulent and subtle ranges of blues and mauves displaying Tamayo's expertise for depicting warmth and sumptuousness. 

With the grace of a dancer and the energy of an athlete, this Saltimbanque displays gestures that serve to subtly counterbalance the static nature of two dimensional planes. In the evanescent mist background, floating small patches of color enhance the visual atmosphere supporting the acrobatic leap. The elegant but vital contrast of harmonic colors, makes a subtle distinction between his clothes and the floor on which he performs. His facial expression reveals the concentration required of him while recalling a prehispanic mask. The present work, executed when the artist was eighty-three, eloquently affirms the pictorial achievement of his mature age.

On the other side, The Juggler exudes energy and vitality, as if it had been painted by an artist in the prime of his youth. These technical and conceptual motifs--only achieved in his later years--allowed Tamayo to reach a virtuosity through apparently simple yet fully accomplished compositions. 

Juan C. Pereda