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Attributed to Rufino Tamayo (1899-1991) Sandías, 1958
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Details
Signed and dated ‘TAMAYO 0-58’ (upper right); inscribed ‘Sandias oleo 1958’ (on the reverse of the canvas).
Sizes:
Artwork: 38 × 46 cm | 15 × 18.1 in
Attributed to Rufino Tamayo.
This striking composition featuring the iconic motif of watermelons—a subject synonymous with Rufino Tamayo’s exploration of Mexican identity—is a profound study in texture and monochromatic intensity.
Executed in 1958, the work utilizes a deeply resonant palette of reds, characteristic of the artist’s mature period, to transform a simple still life into a meditative, almost architectural space. The triangular, geometric precision of the fruit contrasts with the tactile, weathered surface of the background, creating a dialogue between form and atmosphere.
Tamayo’s ability to imbue everyday objects with universal, symbolic weight is fully realized here. The deliberate treatment of light and shadow, combined with the rich, impasto application of paint, suggests an ancient, elemental quality that transcends the limitations of traditional still life.
This composition stands as a compelling testament to the artist’s enduring fascination with the interplay of color, indigenous heritage, and modern abstraction.
Provenance
Reportedly acquired in Rome in the late 1950s by the grandfather of the present owner;
Thence by descent within the family (Rome, Italy, and later Germany);
Private Collection, Germany.
Condition Report
Overall good condition. Please contact us to request a detailed Condition Report.
Shipping
Packed as size S (up to 60 × 50 cm) · 46 × 38 cm
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Authenticity & Buyer Information
This lot is sold “as is” and “as attributed”. The attribution reflects the opinion of the auction house and is considered final. The sale of this lot is final.
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Offered and sold as attributed; the Five-Year Authenticity Guarantee does not apply to this lot. See our Conditions of Sale.
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Rufino Tamayo
Rufino Tamayo was born in Oaxaca on 25 August 1899, of Zapotec descent. Orphaned young, he moved to Mexico City in 1911 to live with an aunt who sold fruit at the market, a world of colour and form he would paint all his life. He studied at the Academia de San Carlos and in 1921 became head of ethnographic drawing at the National Museum of Archaeology, where pre-Hispanic art shaped his sense of form.
Standing apart from the political muralism of Rivera, Orozco and Siqueiros, Tamayo sought a painting that was Mexican in colour and spirit but modern in language, drawing on Cubism, Picasso and Braque.
He lived in New York in 1926 and again from 1936 to 1949, then in Paris until 1959, painting murals for the Palacio de Bellas Artes (1952–53) and UNESCO (1958). His mature work of the 1950s sets stylised figures, dogs, moons and above all watermelons against textured grounds of resonant reds and earths, often with sand mixed into the paint.
Tamayo gave his collection of pre-Hispanic art to Oaxaca (1974) and founded the Museo Tamayo Arte Contemporáneo in Mexico City (1981). He died in Mexico City on 24 June 1991.
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