Pedro Linares López (29 June 1906 – 25 January 1992) was a Mexican artist born in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

known for coining the word and the concept

Alebrije Alebrijes () are brightly colored Mexican folk art sculptures of fantastical (fantasy/mythical) creatures. Description The monos de madera or alebrijes as they are called in Spanish were originally created by carver Manuel Jimenez but soon becam ...

and its plural form

s that are zoomorphic Cartonería figures.

Career

Pedro Linares began his career as a maker of the effigies known as Judas figures, traditionally made of carton during the Catholic Easter season in Mexico, and by making figurines for Diego Rivera,

Frida Kahlo Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón (; 6 July 1907 – 13 July 1954) was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by the country's popular culture, ...

and other artists from the

Academia de San Carlos The Academy of San Carlos ( es, Academia de San Carlos) is located at 22 Academia Street in just northeast of the Zocalo, main plaza of Mexico City. It was the first major art school, art academy and the first art museum in the Americas. It was fo ...

School of Fine Arts in Mexico City. The "

" were created by Linares when he was 30 years old at 1936, allegedly after he suffered high fever and unconsciousness caused by peritonitis. During his convalescence in 1936, Pedro Linares López experienced a lucid dream that transported him to an unusual forest. In this dream, he encountered fantastic, polychrome creatures that proclaimed the word “

alebrijes Alebrijes () are brightly colored Mexican folk art sculptures of fantastical (fantasy/mythical) creatures. Description The monos de madera or alebrijes as they are called in Spanish were originally created by carver Manuel Jimenez but soon becam ...

.” Among these dream figures were a winged donkey, a lion with a dog's head, and a rooster with bull's horns. After peritonitis subsided, Linares began to materialize his vision and the art of making alebrijes was born. He wanted his family and others to know about the animals he dreamt of by taking a piece of paper and molding the figures from his memory and then painting them as he saw them in his dream. Pedro Linares gained national and international attention following the 1975 documentary ''Linares: Artesano de Cartón'' from Judith Bronowski. Part of a documentary series on Mexican folk craft, it resulted in traveling workshops from the films' subjects. Among them was

Manuel Jiménez Ramírez Manuel Jiménez Ramírez (9 June 1919 – 4 March 2005) was a Mexican carver, sculptor and painter credited as the originator of the Oaxacan version of “alebrijes,” animal creatures carved in wood and painted in strong contrasting colours wit ...

, a wood sculptor who took the concept of alebrijes from Linares and began producing wooden "Oaxacan alebrijes". Besides the material, Oaxacan alebrijes differ in being more realistic representations of animals and incorporating ideas of the

nahual In Mesoamerican folk religion, a nagual (pronounced a'wal is a human being who has the power to shapeshift into their tonal animal counterpart. Nagualism is tied to the belief one can access power and spiritual insight by connecting with the ...

. In 1990, Linares was awarded the

National Prize for Arts and Sciences The National Prize for Arts and Sciences ( es, Premio Nacional de Ciencias y Artes) is awarded annually by the Government of Mexico in six categories. It is part of the Mexican Honours System and was established in 1945. The prize is a gold medal a ...

(''Premio Nacional de Ciencias y Artes'') in the Popular Arts and Traditions category, the highest decoration to artisans granted by the federal government of Mexico. The work done by Linares for Diego Rivera is now displayed at the

Anahuacalli Museum The Diego Rivera Anahuacalli Museum is a museum and arts center in Mexico City, located in the San Pablo de Tepetlapa neighborhood of Coyoacán, 10 minutes by car from the Frida Kahlo Museum, as well as from the tourist neighborhood of this distr ...

in Mexico City. In the United States, exhibitions of his work were held at the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

, The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, the

Craft Contemporary Craft Contemporary, formerly the Craft and Folk Art Museum, is a non-profit, non-collecting arts museum dedicated to showcasing contemporary craft in Los Angeles, California. The museum is located on Los Angeles' Museum Row on Wilshire Boulevard, ...

, the

Museum of Us The Museum of Us (formerly known as the San Diego Museum of Man) is a museum of anthropology located in Balboa Park, San Diego, California and housed in the historic landmark buildings of the California Quadrangle. History The museum traces it ...

and the Fullerton Museum Center.

Death

Linares died at the age of 85 in 1992. His three children and later grandchildren helped preserve Linares' name with the refined art of cartonería. Alebrijes continue to be produced by the Linares family and in other workshops across Mexico.

References

External links

Pedro Linares
- biography on Amo Alebrijes website (Spanish)
Pedro Linares López’s 115th Birthday
– Google Doodle {{DEFAULTSORT:Linares, Pedro 1906 births 1992 deaths People from Mexico City Mexican artisans

Career

Death

See also

References

External links