Pedro Coronel

Pedro Coronel Arroyo (25 March 1923, Zacatecas – 23 May 1985) was a Mexican abstract painter, sculptor, draughtsman, and engraver.

Biography

Coronel was born in the city of Zacatecas, and was the older brother to Rafael Coronel. He studied painting and sculpture at La Esmeralda National School of Painting, Sculpture and Engraving (1940–1945) in Mexico City. During a period spent in Paris (1946) he visited the workshops of the painter Victor Brauner and the sculptor Constantin Brâncuşi, both of whom had a strong influence on his artistic development.

His first individual exhibition was at the Galería Proteo in Mexico City (1954), where he came to the attention of the poet Octavio Paz. He later exhibited in France, Italy, Japan, the United States, and Brazil.

In 1984 he received the National Prize for Arts and Sciences.

He died on 23 May 1985 from a stroke at the age of 62. His funeral, at the Palacio de Bellas Artes, was attended by Miguel Gonzalez (Secretario de Educacion), Javier Barros (Director de Bellas Artes) and President Miguel de la Madrid. His remains were originally interred in Mexico City's Panteón Francés de San Joaquin and, one year later, were removed to his home town of Zacatecas and reburied in the courtyard of the Pedro Coronel Museum.

Work

Painting by Coronel

Coronel's work is characterised by the colours of pre-Hispanic cultures and a reclaiming of their shapes and motifs. His sculptures are mostly simplistic in form.

Pedro Coronel was also an enthusiastic collector of pre-Columbian, primitive, oriental, graeco-roman, and mediaeval art. He bequeated his collection to the people of Mexico and it is now housed in the museum that bears his name

See also

• Rafael Coronel, his younger brother, also a renowned painter.

Bibliography

• Compendio Histórico de Zacatecas, Emilio Rodríguez Flores

References

• Artspawn. "Biography of Pedro Coronel", Biographical information about Pedro Coronel at Artspawn.