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Collections

Rufino Tamayo
Figure (Figura)1979

Not on view
Charcoal drawing on mottled tan paper, geometric human figure composed of a circle head, rectangular neck, and square torso with crossed diagonal lines
Drawing on textured paper depicting a schematic human figure constructed from geometric forms — a circle for the head, trapezoid for the neck, and rectangular torso crossed with diagonal lines. A fan or brush-like object extends from the lower left arm. Rendered in dark charcoal lines against a mottled warm gray ground.
Artist or Maker
Rufino Tamayo
Title
Figure (Figura)
Date Made
1979
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
29 3/4 × 22 in. (75.56 × 55.88 cm)
Credit Line
The Bernard and Edith Lewin Collection of Mexican Art
Accession Number
AC1997.LWN.1804
Classification
Prints
Collecting Area
Latin American Art
Curatorial Notes

While identified as an etching, this work by Rufino Tamayo in fact combines a mixture of printmaking techniques and varied textures, which is consistent with other prints the artist made at the Polígrafa print studio in Barcelona. Here, Tamayo reduces the figure to a series of basic shapes that indicate the human body: a circle for a head, a hexagon for a neck, and a large rectangle inscribed with an “X” for the torso. A line runs from the tip of the head to the base of the image, emphasizing the figure’s verticality. A horizontal line suggests eye placement and an upturned arc evokes a collarbone. However, the figure lacks any distinguishing features or details, with the exception of the outlines of fingers and shading to emphasize the hand—the artist’s tool.



For more information see the catalogue entry by Rachel Kaplan in Rufino Tamayo: The Essential Figure, 2019, pp. 54–55.

Provenance
Bernard and Edith Lewin, Rancho Mirage, California; LACMA, 1997.
Selected Bibliography
  • Kaplan, Rachel. Rufino Tamayo: The Essential Figure. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2019.
Selected Exhibition History
  • Rufino Tamayo: Innovation and Experimentation. December 21, 2019 - July 11, 2020
  • Rufino Tamayo: Innovation and Experimentation. December 21, 2019 - July 11, 2020
  • Rufino Tamayo: Innovation and Experimentation. May 3, 2024 - May 27, 2024
  • Rufino Tamayo: Innovation and Experimentation. May 3, 2024 - May 27, 2024
  • Rufino Tamayo: Innovation and Experimentation. November 15, 2024–April 24, 2025
  • Rufino Tamayo: Innovation and Experimentation. November 15, 2024–April 24, 2025