RUFINO TAMAYO | Juego de niños

Private Collection, Italy (acquired from the artist) 
Thence by descent (and sold: Christie's, New York, November 17, 2004, lot 35)
Acquired at the above sale 

Paris, Musée d'Art Moderne de la ville de Paris, Tamayo Transfiguration, Tamayo Peintures 1960-1974, 1974-75, no. 8, illustrated in the catalogue
Florence, Palazzo Strozzi, Rufino Tamayo, 1975, no. 5, illustrated in the catalogue (titled Personaggi che giocano)

José Corredor-Matheos, Tamayo, New York, 1987, no. 48, illustrated in color n.p.

This larger work by the artist may have never been removed from its original stretcher. The paint layer is stable. The canvas is well stretched. As is typical, the artist scraped and scratched much of the surface. There are some little spots where he did not completely cover the ground color, which is all intentional. No losses are retouches are apparent, except for one spot in the lower center about 2 inches from the bottom edge. There are a few other spots that read darkly under ultraviolet light, but these do not appear to correspond to retouches. The work should 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.

“What we could, with many reservations, call Tamayo’s Expressionism, has certain affinities with that of Willem de Kooning, and from another point of view, with the painting of Jean Dubuffet. Furthermore, he is linked to the former as much by his obsession with the mythic, great mother goddess quality of woman’s body as by the generous violence of color. He has a dual affinity with the latter also: the savagery of the line, fury at and against the humane figure, and also his predilection for and preoccupation with textures and their physical properties, be they tactile or visual.”  
—Octavio Paz Rufino Tamayo's painting underwent a radical transformation in the 1960s. Most notable among these stylistic changes is the vigorous synthesis endured by the human figure where the anatomy and physiognomy of Tamayo’s characters undergo a rigorous purification. Such economy of forms is surprisingly balanced with opulent Oaxacan color. Masterly achieved by the application of superimposed layers of subtle halftone glazes, Tamayo’s palette reveals his virtuosity as one of the greatest colorists of the twentieth century.

Painted at the inception of this new period in 1960, Juego de niños (Child’s Play) contains the aesthetic paradox so characteristic of Tamayo’s painting: the simultaneous representation of abundance and scarcity on canvas. His chosen palette of predominantly emerald and ceramic tones, enlivened with fragments of deep yellows and fiery touches of pinks are emblematic of Mexican crafts. The present painting also reveals Tamayo’s high regard for certain technical aspects used in Abstract Expressionism: a dizzying gestural brushwork and a vigorous graffito that ply the painted surface of the picture. The expressiveness of his textures, however, a resource employed by the painter since the forties—and whose use was strengthened during his stay in Paris where he met Jean Dubuffet—is further enhanced by his own experiments with coarse materials which he produced by mixing fresh pigment with sand.   

Likewise, this decade marks the introduction of an innovative spatial relationship. For the first time, pictorial space appears not as a neutral scenario but a crowded field of opulent atmospheres inspired by the technical resources of the Abstract Expressionists: drippings, a gestural and looser brushwork as well as a powerful and dynamic sgraffito. Also apparent is a drastic reduction in the use of color in lieu of a more complex tonal range: a prodigious technical innovation in form and composition which would solidify Tamayo’s pictorial maturity at the dawn of a new decade.