LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA.- The Museum of Latin American Art presents Rufino Tamayo: A Search For The Essence, through March 20, 2005. Rufino Tamayo (1899-1991) was born in Oaxaca, Mexico. He was one of the greatest American creators and, at the same time, one of the artists who managed to penetrate deepest into the reality of today's Man, transcending his historical dimension. His knowledge of the great pre-Columbian cultures allowed him to make an extraordinary synthesis between contemporary and ancient art, achieving a universal conception of art.

“Rufino Tamayo: The Search for the Essence” will focus on paintings, sculptures and works on paper made during the 1930s through the 1980s.

“Fine art’s essence arranged in a poetic milieu, within the precious limitation that encloses a piece of art, that is what I call a master painting”, says Rufino Tamayo. Stylistically, Tamayo simplifies color and form, to create schematic representations, without undermining the profound strength of his subject matter. That is because Tamayo’s representative use of the figure is substantial in his search for the essence of humanity, which he expresses in themes such as the relationship of man with the cosmos or the brevity of life, both an important axis in his work. “Rufino Tamayo: The Search for the Essence”, will expose another vision towards the work by this artist, the search for an essence through form and content. Guest curator: Teresa del Conde, Ph.d, former Director Museum of Modern Art, Mexico.