Federico Silva (born Federico Héctor Gutiérrez Silva; 16 September 1923 – 30 November 2022) was a Mexican painter and sculptor.

Biography

An autodidact, Silva became the assistant of

David Alfaro Siqueiros David Alfaro Siqueiros (born José de Jesús Alfaro Siqueiros; December 29, 1896 – January 6, 1974) was a Mexican social realist painter, best known for his large public murals using the latest in equipment, materials and technique. Along with ...

before beginning to paint his own murals in 1950. He founded and directed the magazine ''1935'', where he collaborated with

Diego Rivera Diego Rivera (; December 8, 1886 – November 24, 1957) was a Mexican painter. His large frescoes helped establish the Mexican muralism, mural movement in Mexican art, Mexican and international art. Between 1922 and 1953, Rivera painted mural ...

Leopoldo Méndez Leopoldo Méndez (June 30, 1902 – February 8, 1969) was one of Mexico's most important graphic artists and one of that country's most important artists from the 20th century. Méndez's work mostly focused on engraving for illustrations and othe ...

José Revueltas José Revueltas Sánchez (November 20, 1914 in Santiago Papasquiaro, Durango – April 14, 1976 in Mexico City) was a Mexican writer, essayist, and political activist. He was part of an important artistic family that included his siblings Silves ...

, and others. During the 1960s, Silva began turning towards sculpture, where he worked alongside

Pedro Coronel Pedro Coronel (March 25, 1922 – May 23, 1985) was a Mexican sculptor and painter. He was part of the Generación de la Ruptura, which brought innovation into Mexican art in the mid 20th century. Coronel's training was with artists of the Mexic ...

. In 1977, he created the sculpture space at the

National Autonomous University of Mexico The National Autonomous University of Mexico (, UNAM) is a public university, public research university in Mexico. It has several campuses in Mexico City, and many others in various locations across Mexico, as well as a presence in nine countri ...

. In

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, he worked in the studio of

Carlos Cruz-Diez Carlos Cruz-Diez (17 August 1923 – 27 July 2019) was a Venezuelan artist said by some scholars to have been "one of the greatest artistic innovators of the 20th century." Career In 2020, the Pérez Art Museum Miami acquired ''Chromosatura ...

. He also owned a workshop in

Tlaxcala City Tlaxcala ( , , ), officially Tlaxcala de Xicohténcatl, is the capital city of the Mexico, Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Tlaxcala and seat of the Municipalities of Tlaxcala, municipality of the same name. The city did not exist during ...

, constructed out of

ahuehuete ''Taxodium mucronatum'', commonly known as Montezuma bald cypress, Montezuma cypress, or ahuehuete, is a species of ''Taxodium'' that is primarily native to Mexico and Guatemala, with a few populations in the southwestern United States. Ahuehue ...

. In 1991, he joined the

Academia de Artes The Academia de Artes (AA) is a Mexican institution dedicated to the promotion and development of the arts. Established between 1967 and 1968 by a presidential decree dated December 12, 1966, its mission is to recognize contributions to Mexican c ...

. In 1995, he received the

National Prize for Arts and Sciences The National Prize for Arts and Sciences () is awarded annually by the Government of Mexico in six categories. It is part of the Mexican Honours System and was established in 1945 by President Manuel Ávila Camacho to promote the country's artistic ...

. In 2003, he created the Museo Federico Silva in San Luis Potosí City, the first museum dedicated to contemporary Latin American sculpture. The museum housed 68 of his sculptures. Federico Silva died on 30 November 2022, at the age of 99.

Gallery

FedericoSilvaMuseum03.JPG Altar I (1988).jpg En Espera-1995(Museo Federico Silva).JPG El Señor de los Rayos -1996 (Museo Federico Silva).JPG Intersección (poliptico)-2000(Museo Federico Silva).JPG

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Silva, Federico 1923 births 2022 deaths 20th-century Mexican painters 20th-century Mexican sculptors Academic staff of the National Autonomous University of Mexico National Prize for Arts and Sciences (Mexico) Artists from Mexico City Members of the Academia de Artes