Sebastián (born Enrique Carbajal González on November 16, 1947) is a Mexican sculptor best known for his monumental works of steel and/or concrete in both Mexico and abroad. These include a number of “gate” sculptures such as the Gran Puerta a México in
Matamoros, Tamaulipas
Matamoros, officially known as Heroica Matamoros, is a city in the northeastern Mexican state of Tamaulipas, and the municipal seat of the homonymous municipality. It is on the southern bank of the Rio Grande, directly across the border from Bro ...
but his most famous sculpture is the “Caballito” located in downtown Mexico City. His works are found in various countries outside Mexico, such as Japan where two are now used as city symbols.
Early life and career
Sebastián was born Enrique Carbajal González on November 16, 1947, in
Santa Rosalía de Camargo,
Chihuahua in northern Mexico.
[''Sebastián.'' Mexico: Grupo Financiero Bital, 1996.] He knew he wanted to be an artist since he was a small child.
He lived in Chihuahua until he began studying in the
Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas in
Mexico City
Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
in 1964. When studying in Mexico City, he survived by working at restaurants and buying clothing to sell it for a profit in
Chihuahua.
[Volpi, Jorge. ''Geometría emocional: Sebastian escultor''. Mexico: Turner, 2004.] Heavily influenced by the work of
Henry Moore
Henry Spencer Moore (30 July 1898 – 31 August 1986) was an English artist. He is best known for his semi-abstract art, abstract monumental Bronze sculpture, bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art. Moore ...
and
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...
, he won first place in the 1965 Annual Exposition of the National Plastic Arts School at UNAM.
He was 21 and a student at ENAP when the
1968 student strikes broke out. After the October 2 massacre, he was detained along with many other students for his participation in the movement.
That same year Sebastián had his first individual show featuring his ceramic work in the Museum of Art of
Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez ( , ; "Juárez City"), commonly referred to as just Juárez (Lipan language, Lipan: ''Tsé Táhú'ayá''), is the most populous city in the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Mexican state of Chihuahua (state), Chihuahua. It was k ...
.
He adopted the pseudonym Sebastián after the
painting of Saint Sebastian by Botticelli.
He lives and has his workshop in Mexico City.
His art career has also led him to work with various organizations such as the Worlds Arts Forum Council in
Geneva
Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
, the Artists Council in Defense of the
Lascaux Caves in France,
Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes
The Secretariat of Culture () — formerly known as the National Council for Culture and Arts ( or CONACULTA) before being elevated to Secretary of State (Mexico), ministerial level in 2015 — is a Mexican government agency in charge of the nat ...
, the board of the State of Mexico Symphonic Orchestra, the administrative board of the Fundación Margarita Miranda de Mascareñas and the International Sculpture Council. In 1977 he was a founding member of the Sociedad Mexicana de Derechos de Author and in 1985 he was president of the Asociación Nacional de Artistas Plásticas in Mexico.
Career

He began his career near the end of the 1960s.
After completing his formal studies he continued his work with short-lived schools and movements such as the "Salon Independiente". He put on his second individual exposition, where he displayed ostensibly simple paper carton works that he called "desplegables" (folders). These smaller works became the base of ideas for his later monumental works made with tons of iron and concrete.
Since 1968, he has had over 120 individual exhibitions of his work in Mexico, Germany, Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Ireland, England, Portugal, Italy, Denmark, Canada, Finland, the US, France, Japan, Switzerland and Venezuela.
His work has been shown in the main museums of Mexico including the
Museo de Arte Moderno, the
Palacio de Bellas Artes
The Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts) is a prominent cultural center in Mexico City. It hosts performing arts events, literature events and plastic arts galleries and exhibitions (including important permanent Mexican murals). "Bella ...
, the
Museo Tamayo, the Museo de Ciencias y Artes of UNAM, the Palacio de Minería and the
Museo de San Ildefonso in Mexico City.
In 2012 he held an exhibit at the Museo de Bellas Artes of the State of Mexico in
Toluca
Toluca , officially Toluca de Lerdo , is the States of Mexico, state capital of the State of Mexico as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. Toluca has a population of 910,608 as of the 2020 census. The city forms the core of the Grea ...
.
He has served as a jury member at the North American Sculpture Exhibition in Colorado (1986, 1991), the Concurso Nacional and Triennial Americana de Escultura en Madera in Argentina (1993) and the
Alexandria Biennial (2001) .
He was the artist in residence for
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...
(1990) and he received a fellowship from the
Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte (1994-1996) .
In addition to the creation of sculpture and other art, he has worked as an academic, giving courses, workshops and conferences at various universities and other institutions in Mexico and abroad.
In 1973 he was a guest lecturer at the
Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design .
In 1985 he became an academic associated with the
Academia de Artes in Mexico. In 1992 he presented at the
Universidad Autónoma de la Laguna in Torreón.
For over twenty five years he has been a professor and researcher at the
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico. He also teaches sculpture, visualization and multimedia classes at the Institutio Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico City.
Significant works

Sebastián is best known for his monumental sculptures in steel and/or concrete in urban settings, of which he has done over 200 in various parts of the world.
[De Haro, Fernando and Omar Fuentes. La Obra Monumental de Sebastián = The Monumental Works of Sebastián. México, D.F.: Arquitectos Editores Mexicanos, 2005.] These works are mostly based on smaller earlier works such as Leonardo 4, Durero 4 and Brancusi 4.
In Mexico, his best known monumental sculpture is officially called “
Cabeza de caballo” (horse's head) but is generally referred to as the “Caballito” (little horse), located in downtown Mexico City.
Other works by Sebastián appear in
Nuevo León
Nuevo León, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nuevo León, is a Administrative divisions of Mexico, state in northeastern Mexico. The state borders the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Zacatecas, and San Luis Potosí, San Luis ...
,
Tabasco
Tabasco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tabasco, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Tabasco, 17 municipalities and its capital city is Villahermosa.
It i ...
,
Morelos
Morelos, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Morelos, is a landlocked state located in south-central Mexico. It is one of the 32 states which comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Mun ...
,
Guerrero
Guerrero, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guerrero, is one of the 32 states that compose the administrative divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guerrero, 85 municipalities. The stat ...
,
Chiapas
Chiapas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas, is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises Municipalities of Chiapas, 124 municipalities and its capital and large ...
,
Michoacán
Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo, is one of the 31 states which, together with Mexico City, compose the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The stat ...
, and other states.
These include “gate” structures such as the Puerta de Torreón,
La Puerta del Sol, La Puerta a Chihuahua, and the Gran Puerta de México in Matamoros, Tamaulipas.
Other monumental sculptures by the artist include the El Torreón al Porvenir for Torreón 100th anniversary and the
Arcos del Milenio in Guadalajara for the nation's 200th anniversary of its independence.
His 2007 work with the Ruta Escultórica del Acero y el Cemento (Sculpture in Steel and Cement Route) in the
State of Mexico
The State of Mexico, officially just Mexico, is one of the 32 federal entities of the United Mexican States. Colloquially known as Edomex (from , the abbreviation of , and ), to distinguish it from the name of the whole country, it is the mo ...
was somewhat controversial in that he stated he would not receive any money for his work but charged the state over seventeen million
pesos for materials and workmen's labor.
Outside Mexico, his monumental sculptures can be found in cities such as
Kingston,
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
,
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.[Montevideo
Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...](_bl ...<br></span></div>, <div class=)
,
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
Albuquerque
Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...
,
Denver
Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
, San Antonio, New York,
Bern
Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...
,
Hakone
is a List of towns in Japan, town in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the town had a population of 10,965, and total area of .
Hakone is a notable spa town and a popular tourist destination due to its many onsen, hot springs being within view of ...
,
Nagoya
is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...
and
Osaka
is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...
.
These include “El Quijote” in
Alcalá de Henares
Alcalá de Henares () is a Spanish municipality of the Community of Madrid. Housing is primarily located on the right (north) bank of the Henares River, Henares. , it has a population of 193,751, making it the region's third-most populated Municip ...
, Spain, the Phoenix Arch for the city of
Sakai
is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its '' kofun'', keyhole-shaped burial mounds dating from the fifth century. The ''kofun ...
, Japan, used as its symbol, a similar piece called “Tsuru” for the city of
Kadoma, Japan and a sculpture for the Kadona Sports Center, all done in the 1990s.
Recognitions and awards
Sebastián's first award for his work was in 1965 at the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas annual exhibition while he was still a student, followed by placing first at the same school's Exposición Annual de Mobilario y Escultura in 1967.
During his career, these were followed by first prize at the Primera Bienal de Arte in
Morelia
Morelia (; from 1545 to 1828 known as Valladolid; Otomi language, Otomi: ) is a city and municipal seat of the municipalities of Mexico, municipality of Morelia in the north-central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. It is both th ...
, Michoacán (1974), first prize at the Concurso Nacional de Escultura Monumento a las Nacionalidad Mexicana sponsored by
INAH in Mexico City (1981), the UNAM Medal for his participation with the Centro de Espacio Escultórico in Mexico City (1983), the Prize of the Jury at the International Graphic Biennial in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
(1984, 1992), the Asociación del Claustro de Sor Juana Medal (1984), the Tomás Valles Vivar Prize in Chihuahua (1985), the Superior Prize at the Competition and Homage to Henry Moore at the
Hakone Open-Air Museum
The Hakone Open-Air Museum (箱根 彫刻の森美術館, ''Hakone Choukoku no Mori Bijutsukan''), opened in 1969, is Japan's first open-air museum. It is located in Hakone, Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa Prefecture. Hosting over 1,000 piece ...
in Japan (1987), the Bronze Award from the ABC Ashi Broadcasting Corporation in Osaka (1990), the Bronze Prize from the International Painting Triennial in Osaka (1990), the Sol Caracol Prize from the Instituto Superior de Arquitectura y Diseño Industrial at the University of Chihuahua (1992), the Grand Prize and Gold Prize at the A-ORC 200 in Osaka (1992), the Japan Silver Prize at the Sculpture Triennial in Osaka (1992), the
Mainichi Broadcasting System
JOOY-DTV (channel 4), branded as or (formerly known as from 1959 to 2011), is a Japanese television station serving as the Kansai region key station of the Japan News Network, owned-and-operated by a subsidiary of MBS Media Holdings with ...
Prize at the International Painting Triennial in Osaka (1993), the
Kinki Nippon Railway
, referred to as and officially Kinki-Nippon Railway, is a Japanese passenger railway company, managing infrastructure and operating passenger train service. Its railway system is the largest in Japan, excluding Japan Railways Group. The railw ...
Prize at the Osaka Sculpture Triennial (1995, 1998), the Moquette Awards at the Fifth Kajima Sculpture Contest in Tokyo (1997), the Lifetime Achievement Award from RGI Global Marketing in
Detroit
Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
(1998), the Medaille de la Ville de Paris in France (1999), the
Torch of Friendship Appreciation Award in San Antonio (2002), the
Jerusalem Prize
The Jerusalem Prize for the Freedom of the Individual in Society is a biennial literary award given to writers whose works have dealt with themes of human freedom in society.
It is awarded at the Jerusalem International Book Forum (previously kn ...
from the Zionist Federation of Mexico and the City of Jerusalem (2005) .
He was a guest of honor at the Art Triennial in
Cairo
Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
,
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
and the
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental organization, international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German ...
in
Davos, Switzerland, both in 1994, the International Sculpture Symposium in
Beijing
Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
and the Art Biennial in Beijing (2003) .
He has been inducted as an honorary member of the
Royal Academy of Art, The Hague
The Royal Academy of Art (, KABK) is an art and design academy in The Hague, offering programs at both the Education in the Netherlands, HBO bachelor's and master's levels, as well as PhD programs.
Succeeding the ''Haagsche Teeken-Academie'' (pa ...
(1983), a member of the Academia Nacional de las Artes, the
Salón de la Plástica Mexicana and the Legión de Honor Nacional de México. (1987) .
He has also received honorary doctorates from the Universidad Autónoma de La Laguna in Torreón (2003), the
Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua (2004), the
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a Public university, public research university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York ...
, the
Universidad Autónoma de Colima and the
Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (2011) .
Other recognitions include two from his hometown of Camargo in 1985 and 1988, being named its “favorite son.”
In 1997 and 2012, Mexico's National Lottery issued tickets in his honor.
He also received the Gral. Angel Trias Alvarez Medal from the Sociedad Chihuahuense de Estudios Históricos (1998), recognition from the Parlamente Cultural de
MERCOSUR
The Southern Common Market (commonly known by abbreviation ''Mercosur'' in Spanish and ''Mercosul'' in Portuguese) is a South American trade bloc established by the Treaty of Asunción in 1991 and Protocol of Ouro Preto in 1994. Its full me ...
(2005) and the keys to the city of
Matamoros, Tamaulipas
Matamoros, officially known as Heroica Matamoros, is a city in the northeastern Mexican state of Tamaulipas, and the municipal seat of the homonymous municipality. It is on the southern bank of the Rio Grande, directly across the border from Bro ...
(2005) .
Artistry
''Fonatur'' art work
While Sebastián has done architectural design, painting, art objects, furniture design, jewelry, costume design, set design and multimedia shows, he is best known for his sculpture.
His work is considered to be unique in Mexico and Latin America.
Much of his style can be traced to his second individual exhibition where he displayed ostensibly simple paper carton works that he called "desplegables" (folders). These seemingly small works became the base of ideas for his later monumental works made with tons of iron and concrete.
Much of his sculptural work has kinetic appeal even if the parts do not move.
Geometric concepts are also very important to his work.
He believes that the future of art is in science and technology as well as art for locations beyond Earth.
His work has kept up with technological advances. One exhibition used biological
electroplating
Electroplating, also known as electrochemical deposition or electrodeposition, is a process for producing a metal coating on a solid substrate through the redox, reduction of cations of that metal by means of a direct current, direct electric cur ...
, mimicking processes done by some sea creatures.
Fundación Cultural Sebastián and Museo Sebastian
The Fundación Cultural Sebastián was founded in 1997 with Sebastián as first president as a non-governmental cultural organization to promote Mexican cultural values, especially the arts. It has hosted exhibitions by young artists, concerts, dance recitals, visual arts and literary events and more. It also promotes techniques to preserve artworks to avoid their loss in the future because of expensive renovation work. It also sponsors a number of artistic competitions on the national level as well as in the states of
Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, constitute the 32 administrative divisions of Mexico, federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into municipalities of ...
and
Colima
Colima, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Colima, is among the 31 states that make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and main city, Colima.
Colima is a small state of western Mexico on the cen ...
.
The Museo Sebastían is located on one side of the Plaza Merino in the city of Chihuahua, which used to be the site of a large market in the 18th and 19th centuries. The building was constructed in the 1880s as a mansion. After the
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution () was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It saw the destruction of the Federal Army, its ...
it became a commercial building. In 1995, the city acquired it to create a cultural center as well as a museum to honor Sebastián. It contains several exhibition halls and a permanent collection of Sebastián's work on display as well as areas for cultural and other kinds of events.
See also
* ''
Ángel Custodio'', Puebla
* ''
Coyote en Ayuno'', Nezahualcóyotl
References
External links
Catalogue (1967–2008)(vía
Issuu
Issuu, Inc. (pronounced "issue") is a Danish-founded American electronic publishing platform based in Palo Alto, California, United States. The company's software converts PDFs into customizable digital publications that can be shared via links ...
)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sebastian
1947 births
Living people
Mexican sculptors
Mexican male sculptors
People from Camargo, Chihuahua
Members of the Academia de Artes