Geles Cabrera, the pioneering Mexican sculptor, has died, aged 100
Through her sinuous approach to the human figure, Cabrera forged a distinctive sculptural language and challenged conventions
Pioneering Mexican sculptor Geles Cabrera has passed away at the age of 100. Born in Mexico City in 1926, Cabrera trained at the Academia de San Carlos and La Esmeralda during a time when nationalist art dominated the scene and avant-garde expressions were on the rise. Despite the overwhelmingly male-dominated field, Cabrera focused on the human figure in her works, evolving from classical forms to experimental approaches.
Dance heavily influenced her art, particularly after she attended experimental workshops led by architect Alfonso Pallares in the 1940s. Cabrera's sculptures are characterized by their emotion and, at times, eroticism, and she was known for her hands-on approach. She firmly believed in the technical innovation of leaving stone unpolished, a departure from convention.
Despite her early success, Cabrera faced challenges in gaining institutional support due to her gender and the role of motherhood. She opened the Museo Escultórico in Coyoacán in 1966 to showcase other artists' work and eventually become a permanent display of her own sculptures. Cabrera's work has been exhibited internationally, with a survey exhibition in 2018 and a solo exhibition in the US in 2022.
She received the 2023 Bellas Artes Medal in Visual Arts, Mexico's highest artistic distinction. Her work is held in various collections, including the corporate collection of Femsa and the Museo de Arte Moderno. Cabrera's influence on Mexican sculpture and the reassessment of women artists in the field is significant, opening the way for new relationships between body, material, and space.
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