José Luis Cuevas

Jose Luis Cuevas (1934-2017, renowned painter and printmaker, was born in Mexico City on February 26, 1934. He briefly studied at the Escuela Nacional de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado 'La Esmeralda' and later pursued graphic arts at the Institución de Enseñanza Universitaria, both located in Mexico City.

Best known for his neo‑figurative drawings, prints and sculptures that rejected the nationalist tradition of Mexican muralism in favor of distorting grotesque figures to explore themes of alienation, decay, and psychological unrest.

A central figure of the Generación de la Ruptura, Cuevas His dark, expressionistic prints using ink, gouache, watercolors, or lithography portray society’s marginalized individuals, such as the mentally ill, prostitutes, and outcasts, in works that functioned as both personal diary and social critique.

Artistic Career and Exhibitions

Cuevas held his first exhibition at Galera Prisse in Mexico City in 1953. This was followed the next yearwith an exhibition at the Pan American Union Building in Washington, DC. He was later invited to various international workshops, such as the Tamarind Workshop in Los Angeles, Poligrafa Obra Gráfica in Barcelona (1981), and Kyron Ediciones Gráficas Limitadas Kyron in Mexico City. His legacy is commemorated at the Jose Luis Cuevas Museum in Mexico City, which displays a contemporary collection of his artworks.

Recognition and Awards

Cuevas presented solo exhibitions in cities like Washington, D.C., Paris, New York, Rome, Venice, Sao Paulo, Vienna, Madrid, and Santiago. His accolades include the Drawing Prize at the V Biennial of Sao Paulo (1959), Mexico's National Prize of Science and Art (1981), the Ordre des Artes et des Lettres from France (1991), and the Tomas Francisco Prieto Award in Engraving from Queen Sofia in Madrid (1997).