Nahum B. Zenil

Place: Veracruz

Born: 1947

Biography:

Nahum B. Zenil is a celebrated Mexican artist born in 1947 in Veracruz, Mexico. He has been using his own visage in self-portraits that meet the viewer's gaze and return the stare, inviting the viewer to share in the protagonist's melancholies and preoccupations. Often portrayed with his partner or beneath the Virgin of Guadalupe, the works engage with conformity and freedom, homosexuality, and "mestizism" in Mexico.

Early Life and Education

Zenil enrolled at the Escuela Nacional de Maestros (National Teachers' School) in Mexico City, from which he graduated in 1964. He then entered the Escuela Nacional de Pintura y Escultura ("La Esmeralda") in Mexico City in 1968. His work gained widespread attention in the 1980s as a leader of the "Neomexicanismo" movement, in works that utilized traditional Mexican themes from religion and folk art in sometimes satirical or skeptical fashion.

Artistic Style and Themes

Zenil's self-portraits are characterized by their use of ink on paper that deliberately yellows with time. The scenario is treated as a letter of communication, in the idiosyncratic hand of the artist. His works often explore themes of identity, culture, and social significance, inviting the viewer to share in his personal experiences and emotions.

Notable Exhibitions and Collections

Zenil's work is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, among other public collections. He has participated in more than 450 exhibitions worldwide, including at the Museo Carrillo Gil, Mexico City (1982); in "Nahum B. Zenil: Witness to the Self" at the MIT List Visual Arts Center, The Mexican Museum, San Francisco, and the Gray Art Gallery and Study Center, New York University (1996-7); "El Gran Circo del Mundo" at the Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico City (1999); and in the 31st Sao Paulo Biennial (2014).

• His work can be found on Wikioo.org, where his self-portraits and other works are showcased.
• For more information on Mexican art and culture, visit Wikipedia's page on Lola Álvarez Bravo, a pioneering Mexican photographer.

Awards and Recognition

Zenil has been a member of the Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte (National System of Art Creators). He is also one of the founding members of the annual "Semana Cultural Gay" at Museo Universitario del Chopo, Mexico City. His contributions to Mexican art and culture have been widely recognized, making him a prominent figure in the country's artistic scene.