Tamayo, Rufino | Monolito, 1981 — available on Composition Gallery

Mixed Media Plaster on Steel. Unique work. Hand-signed by the artist.

This imposing unique sculpture by Rufino Tamayo stands two metres tall in grey plaster on a steel base, its simplified anthropomorphic head crowned by vertical grooves that recall ancient stele and pre-Columbian monoliths. Created in 1981 under the title Monolito, the work embodies Tamayo’s lifelong ambition to reconnect modern Mexican art with the monumental sculptural traditions of Mesoamerica. The rough, mineral surface of the plaster preserves the directness of the artist’s modelling hand, while the stark verticality and totemic presence transform gallery space into something approaching a ceremonial site.

Rufino Tamayo (Mexico, 1899–1991) blended modernism with Mexican heritage, creating bold, color-driven paintings and prints. Influenced by Zapotec culture, he avoided political narratives, focusing instead on universal themes and textured surfaces. His innovative use of color and form helped redefine 20th-century Mexican art beyond muralism.

Rufino Tamayo

Monolito, 1981

Name: Monolito, 1981
SKU: 17250

Form

Sculpture / Object

Sculpture / ObjectA sculpture is a three-dimension object made using any one of the basic sculpting processes. These include carving, casting, constructing or modeling. Carving materials may be bone, ivory, stone or wood. Modeling and casting use clay or wax, while constructions glue materials together.

Medium

Mixed Media

Mixed MediaMixed media refers to artwork that incorporates more than one medium within a single piece. Unlike multimedia art, which combines distinct forms of visual art and often includes elements like sound, video, or digital media, mixed media focuses on combining traditional art materials, such as paint, ink, and collage. Mixed media art allows artists to achieve a wide range of effects and textures by layering and blending different materials.

Edition

Unique work

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Mixed Media Plaster on Steel. Unique work. Hand-signed by the artist.

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Can you believe that, to say that ours is the only path when the fundamental thing in art is freedom! In art, there are millions of paths—as many paths as there are artists.

— Rufino Tamayo

Rufino Tamayo (b. 1899 Mexico, d. 1991 Mexico) was a painter and printmaker who forged a distinct path within 20th-century modern art. Blending elements of Mexican folk traditions with international modernism, his work resists overt political narratives in favor of universal themes such as humanity, cosmology, and existence. Tamayo is known for his rich color palettes, textured surfaces, and simplified, often monumental forms. Working across painting, mural, and graphic media, he developed innovative techniques, particularly in printmaking, where he helped popularize the mixografia process. Influenced by pre-Columbian art and European movements like Cubism, Tamayo created a visual language that feels both ancient and contemporary. His work situates him between cultural specificity and global abstraction, making him a key figure in redefining Mexican art beyond nationalist frameworks.

Artwork by Fernand Léger

What is Cubism?

Cubism is an art movement that aimed to depict multiple perspectives of objects or figures within a single picture. Artists Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso pioneered this style around 1907. The name Cubism emerged from their use of geometric shapes and outlines that often resembled cubes, breaking objects down into abstracted forms.

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Rufino Tamayo