Miguel Covarrubias

Art Appreciation

Born on November 22, 1904, José Miguel Covarrubias Duclaud was a Mexican painter, caricaturist, and illustrator. At the age of 14, he started producing caricatures and illustrations for the Mexican Ministry of Public Education. A few years later, he moved to New York City on a Mexican government grant. 

While in New York City, Covarrubias was introduced to the city's literary/cultural elite by Mexican poet José Juan Tablada and New York Times' artistic photographer Carl Van Vechten. He then became involved in designing sets and costumes for theatre productions. 

During one theatre production, he met dancer and choreographer Rosa Rolando, who later became his wife. The power couple spent time with other artists like Edward Weston, Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Eugene O'Neill, Langston Hughes, John Huston, and Nelson Rockefeller.

Covarrubias' artwork and celebrity caricatures were featured in The New Yorker and Vanity Fair magazines. He also began to publish his own books of caricatures and illustrations, along with providing illustrations for classics like Uncle Tom's Cabin, Frankie and Johnny.

Covarrubias was invited by the 1939-1940 Golden Gate International Exposition to create a mural set that would highlight social and culture of countries in the Pacific area. He created six murals titled The Fauna and Flora of the Pacific, Peoples, Art and Culture, Economy, Native Dwellings, and Native Means of Transportation. 

Rosa and Miguel returned to live in Mexico City where he continued to paint, illustrate and write. He was appointed artistic director and director of administration for a new department at the Palacio de Bellas Artes. His wife would play a key role in the development of an Academy of Dance by ushering in a "golden age" for Mexican modern contemporary dance. Their marriage, however, ended in 1952 after Miguel pursued one of his pupils, Rocío Sagaón. 

Baile en Mexico

El Hueso

Sitting Woman with Flowers

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_Covarrubias

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/351714754_The_Golden_Age_of_Mexican_Modern_Dance_Miguel_Covarrubias_and_the_Academia_de_la_Danza_MexicanaMiguel_Covarrubias_and_the_Academia_de_la_Danza_Mexicana