RUFINO TAMAYO | Cara de luna (Moon Face)

Bernard & Edith Lewin, Palm Springs 
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (a gift from the above)
Latin American Masters, Santa Monica
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Bernard Lewin Galleries, Rufino Tamayo (exhibition catalogue), Beverly Hills, 1983, illustrated in color n.p.

This work is in very good condition overall. The canvas is unlined and well-stretched. The colors are vibrant, and the media layer is stable overall.
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.

“If we consider the two poles that define Tamayo’s painting—plastic rigorousness and the imagination that transfigures the object—we will at once see that his encounter with pre-Columbian art was a truly momentous one. The immediate and surprising qualities of pre-Columbian sculpture are the strict geometry of its conception, the solidity of its volumes and its admirable fidelity to its materials. These were qualities that impressed modern artists and critics from the start. And Tamayo’s attitude follows the same reasoning: like modern painting, Meso-American sculpture is principally a logic of forms, lines and volumes.”

Octavio Paz

We wish to thank Juan Carlos Pereda for his kind assistance in the cataloguing of this work.