POLANCO.- Vicente Rojo, foremost Mexican painter, known for his abstract paintings, sculptures and graphic designs, is currently having an exhibit called “Hall of Fame” at the Galeria Juan Martin. Rojo has included 12 people in his private hall of fame, where he pays homage to certain writers and painters. Working within a small format, mixed media /wood, he has invited writers Agatha Christie, Italo Calvino, Carlos Pellicer and Jules Verne .

His chosen painters are Louise Nevelson, Jean Dubuffet, Paul Klee, Piet Mondrian, Joseph Cornell, Mark Rothko, Germán Cueto and the filmmaker, Georges Méliés. With his uncanny talent for bringing out the essence of his chosen mentors, he portrays Christie with a large keyhole, related to her mystery stories. Calvino is represented with 4 small constructions which bring to mind his “Invisible Cities” Pellicer, poet, with small constructions portraying flowers, and Verne with 4 paintings that relate to the Mysterious Island as for the painters, he brings out the mystic quality of Rothko, playful Dubuffet, well constructed Nevelson, sober Mondrian, invigorating Cornell,, poetic Klee, and Georges Méliés with his fil Voyage to the Moon. Rojo’s insights are amazing, for he can bring out elements of each artist without losing his own language, His humor and playfulness are more tan evident.. The exhibit runs thru January.

Vicente Rojo was born in Barcelona, Spain in 1932. He studied Ceramics and Sculpture in Spain.

In 1949 he moved to Mexico, and continued his art studies at La Esmeralda, Escuela Nacional de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado in Mexico. He was member of the group of Mexican plastic artists who departed from the Mexican School of Painting known as the Ruptura, whose principal leaders were Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros.

Vicente Rojo has been recognized as the most remarkable designer for the most important cultural magazines of Mexico, such as the Bellas Artes Magazine from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), and Artes de México.

In 1991 he was awarded the Premio BNacional de Arte and the Mexico Prize, for design. In 1993 he was entitled as Emeritus Creator by the Sistema Nacional de Creadores and was awarded the Golden Medal to the Mérito de Bellas Artes in Spain.

In 1998, he was designated Member of El Colegio Nacional, and entitled as Doctor Honoris Causa by the UNAM. The paintings of Vicente Rojo are essentially abstract, but with the sensibility and the discipline of his graphic technique.

Mexico bajo la lluvia is perhaps the most beautiful serie of his works. He also has painted several series of works like, Signals, Negaciones, Recuerdos, and Escenarios.

Vicente Rojo was recently awarded the Bellas Artes Gold Medal



with information from: www.latinamericanart.com