19 Facts About Rodolfo Nieto

Rodolfo Nieto Labastida was a Mexican painter of the Oaxacan School.

Rodolfo Nieto was born at home in Oaxaca on July 13,1936.

Rodolfo Nieto's father Rodolfo Nieto Gris, a medical epidemiologist, left the home mysteriously around 1949.

Rodolfo Nieto worked at the Atelier 17 with Stanley William Hayter and his discovery of the work of Edvard Munch spurred an interest in wood engraving.

Rodolfo Nieto worked at the lithography workshop of Michael Casse for German publisher Manus Press.

In Paris away from his indigenous environment, Rodolfo Nieto began to re-think folk art from his native Oaxaca mainly focusing on the brightly painted hand-carved wooden animals known as alebrijes.

Rodolfo Nieto combined the alebrijes with the Burne Hogarth's Tarzan comic strip stories of his childhood.

Rodolfo Nieto again won the Biennale de Paris Prize for painting in 1968.

Rodolfo Nieto won the Bienal of Caen in 1970 and the Bienal de Menton.

Rodolfo Nieto returned to Mexico in 1972, stating that indigenous spirits called "nahuales" were calling him home.

In Europe Rodolfo Nieto had gained fame and recognition in the art world, but in Mexico he struggled despite an exhibition of his work at the Museo de Arte Moderno in 1973.

Rodolfo Nieto met his wife, Nancy Glenn-Nieto, a painter, at the grand opening of David Alfaro Siqueiros Polyforum Cultural Siqueiros in Mexico City.

Rodolfo Nieto was invited to Siqueiros' home after the Polyforum event and asked Siqueiros if he could bring along his new friend.

Rodolfo Nieto's sleeping was erratic, his mind began wondering, seeing things, speaking and acting unusual.

Rodolfo Nieto seemed to have an awareness of his life coming to an end.

Rodolfo Nieto worked in diverse techniques such as pencil, pastel and oil to mixed media and graphics.

Rodolfo Nieto's work is semi-abstract in the realm of magical realism.

Rodolfo Nieto always defended himself from that idea, and did not understand how people could be confused, as he had never stopped doing figuration, but certainly not realistic.

Rodolfo Nieto was an intelligent man, a critically rare bird.