Isabel 'Chabela' Villaseñor ( Guadalajara, 18 May 1909 -

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

, 13 March 1953) was a noted post-revolutionary Mexican

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

, printmaker, painter, poet, and songwriter.

Biography

Villaseñor was born in the city of Guadalajara. In 1928, she enrolled as a student of sculpture in Mexico City's 'Centro Popular de Pintura Santiago Rebull,' where she studied under the school's founder,

Gabriel Fernández Ledesma Gabriel Fernández Ledesma (May 30, 1900 – August 26, 1983) was a Mexican painter, printmaker, sculptor, graphic artist, writer and teacher. He began his career working with artist Roberto Montenegro then moved into publishing and education ...

, and artist Francisco Diaz de Leon. Villaseñor later married Ledesma. She died of a heart attack in 1953.Sylvia Navarrete
''Isabel Villaseñor''
(español).

Work

In 1930, Villaseñor was one of only two female artists represented in New York's

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

seminal show, ''Mexican Arts.'' In 1931, Villaseñor served as a missionary instructor in the state of

Hidalgo Hidalgo may refer to: People * Hidalgo (nobility), members of the Spanish nobility * Hidalgo (surname) Places Mexico * Hidalgo (state), in central Mexico * Hidalgo, Coahuila, a town in the north Mexican state of Coahuila * Hidalgo, Nuevo Le� ...

. That same year, she had her first solo exhibition at the

National Library of Mexico The National Library of Mexico ( es, Biblioteca Nacional de México) is located in Ciudad Universitaria, the main campus of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City. It was first established on November 30, 1867. As a n ...

. She participated in the activities of ¡30-30!, an artists collective known for its anti-academic and revolutionary themes. Her work was also shown at the 1943 Philadelphia Museum of Art exhibition, ''Mexican Art Today''. Her work was also likely shown at the 1940 New York

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

exhibition, ''Twenty Centuries of Mexican Art''. Villaseñor's sculptures are made of metal and wood. Her personal life is reflected in her work, including the death of her son in 1934, and her relationship with her daughter, Olinca. In 1953, noted Mexican painter María Izquierdo described Villaseñor as one of two of "the only real Mexicans in their work," along with Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

Literary productions

* Theatrical piece in verse ''Elena the traicionera'' (1929). * Script for the ballet ''The maleficio'' (1948) which premièred posthumously in 1954 with choreography by Elena Noriega, music by

Blas Galindo Blas Galindo Dimas (February 3, 1910 – April 19, 1993) was a Mexican composer. Biography Born in San Gabriel, Jalisco, Galindo studied intermittently from 1931 to 1944 at the National Conservatory in Mexico City, studying with Carlos Chávez ...

and designs by

Fernández Fernández () is a Spanish surname meaning "son of Fernando". The Germanic name that it derives from ( Gothic: ''Frið-nanð'') means "brave traveler." The Portuguese version of this surname is Fernandes. The Arabized version is ''Ibn Faranda' ...

Ledesma.

Exhibitions

* Exhibition on the Events of Bogota. * Exhibition devoted to the American Continental Congress American for Peace celebrated in

from 5 to 11 October 1949 as part of that year's world-wide movement against violence. * Retrospective exhibition of Villaseñor's work at the

Museo de la Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público The Museo de la Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público is an art museum located in the historic center of Mexico City. It is housed in what was the Palacio del Arzobispado (Palace of the Archbishopric), built in 1530 under Friar Juan de Zum ...

in 1999

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Villasenor, Isabel Mexican women sculptors 20th-century Mexican sculptors 1953 deaths 1909 births 20th-century Mexican women artists 20th-century women sculptors