Geles Cabrera, Pioneering Mexican Sculptor, Dies Age 100
The sculptor Geles Cabrera, best known for being Mexico’s first professional female sculptor, has passed away age 100
Geles Cabrera, Untitled, 1975. Courtesy Galería OMR
Born in Mexico City in 1926, Cabrera first started exhibiting her work in her early twenties after studying at the Academia de San Carlos and the National School of Painting, Sculpture and Printmaking.
Over the next seventy years, she would revolutionise the Mexican art scene by entering a discipline overwhelmingly dominated by men. Emerging in the 1950s as part of an artistic movement called Generación la Ruptura (The Breakaway Generation), she broke away from the national realism traditions of her time to make abstract pieces that reflected on the fluidity and movement of the female form. Working with terracotta, bronze and even volcanic stone, her works often evoked the shapes of pre-Hispanic art. Throughout the course of her career, she created a unique visual language that would define Mexican modern sculpture.
Active in public life, Cabrera was a founding member of the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana and founder of the Museo Escultorio in Mexico City in 1966, a space where emerging artists could find a place to exhibit and exchange ideas. In the last couple of years, she received Mexico’s Medalla de Oros de Bellas Artes in 2024 and her first dedicated retrospective at the Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City.
Related content
News
Austrian presidential hopeful pledges to return Aztec headdress to Mexico
As Austria prepares for 2028 elections, a presidential hopeful said he would return a contested Aztec object to Mexico
Prague’s First International Contemporary Art Fair to Launch Next Spring
The Czech Republic’s first international art fair, Prague Contemporary, will hold its inaugural edition at the Industrial Palace in Výstaviště Praha at the end of April next year.
Bangkok Art Biennale Announces the Complete Lineup for Its Fifth Edition
72 artists from around the world will take over Bangkok across temples, museums, cultural institutions and public spaces from 29 October 2026 to 28 February 2027.
The Van Gogh Museum Reaches Agreement on Renovation Budget
The Van Gogh Museum has reached a settlement with the Dutch government over the financing of the museum’s renovation, set to start in late 2028.
Louvre Abu Dhabi Names New Director
Souraya Noujaim returns to the museum where she previously spent five years as its collections director.
Tang Contemporary Closes Its Hong Kong Gallery
Tang Contemporary’s Wong Chuk Hang space in Hong Kong has indefinitely shut following allegations of outstanding debts across its network
Paris Photo Looks to Younger Collectors in Its Bicentenary Edition
As the fair marks 200 years of photography, its programme spans historical work, environmental concerns and AI-generated images
British Library Announces New CEO
The recently departed head of the UK Space Agency has been announced as the British Library’s new chief executive, as the institution emerges from a turbulent period and announces a new partnership with Netflix
A New Hope for George Lucas’s $1 Billion Museum
Far more than a home for Star Wars, George Lucas and Mellody Hobson’s new Los Angeles museum brings fine art, comics, illustration, photography and cinema together under the banner of ‘narrative art’
Powerhouse Parramatta Opens as Governance Questions Linger
The $915 million museum will open in November with a major festival and five inaugural exhibitions, as investigations into governance and procurement continue
-1.jpg%3F2026-09-17T16%3A44%3A23.891Z&w=3840&q=100)
Swedish Centre-Left Bloc Secures Slim Majority
Following a tight election, Sweden’s opposition bloc has secured a narrow victory over the outgoing right-wing bloc. What could it mean for the cultural sector?
Washington DC’s Kennedy Center Risks Fiscal Collapse
Internal documents obtained by The Washington Post warn that the Kennedy Center faces “fiscal collapse” within weeks, after ticket sales and fundraising plunged amid upheaval following Donald Trump’s takeover
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter
Intel on the art market. Straight to your inbox.
