Rufino Tamayo:

Innovation and Experimentation

A color print of three red hands, two at the bottom and one at the top, on splotchy blue backgrounds.
Image Credit
November 24, 2024–April 20, 2025
Second floor

Rufino Tamayo: Innovation and Experimentation presents the evolution of Rufino Tamayo’s artistic technique through his works on paper. A leading Mexican artist of the 20th century best known for his paintings and murals, Tamayo also created a large number of prints, experimenting with ways to add volume and texture to a traditionally two-dimensional medium. Organized by and drawn exclusively from the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, this exhibition explores more than 60 years of Tamayo’s inventive prints and features a selection of his watercolors as well as examples of Mesoamerican sculpture—an important source of inspiration for the artist. The exhibition charts Tamayo’s lifelong interest in depicting the human figure, from representational scenes to abstract adaptations, throughout his prolific career.

Rufino Tamayo

Man with Tall Hat (Hombre con sombrero alto), ca. 1930

watercolor and charcoal on paper

A watercolor painting of a dark-skinned man wearing a tall, cream-colored hat, and adobe buildings in the background.

Rufino Tamayo

Hands on Blue Background (Manos sobre fondo azul), 1979

etching

A color print of three red hands, two at the bottom and one at the top, on splotchy blue backgrounds.

Rufino Tamayo

Transparent Man (Hombre transparente), 1964

lithograph

A black-and-white print of a ghostly outline in white of a human figure on black paper.

Rufino Tamayo

Man with Open Arms: The Preacher (Hombre con brazos abiertos: el predicador), 1984

Mixografía® print on handmade paper

A color print of the black silhouette of a human figure with upstretched arms on a background that fades, from the top, from pink to blue.

Seated Male with Shoulder Scarification, 1200–900 BCE

Ceramic

A clay figure depicting a man seated with his knees drawn up to his torso and his elbows resting on his knees.
All Exhibitions

Header Image Credit

Image: Rufino Tamayo (1899–1991), Hands on Blue Background (Manos sobre fondo azul), 1979, etching, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Bernard and Edith Lewin Collection of Mexican Art, © 2024 Tamayo Heirs / Mexico / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

All images © 2024 Tamayo Heirs / Mexico / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA