Pedro Coronel - Career

Career

While Coronel began his career as a sculptor, he divided his career between that and painting, with the painting becoming more important. Most of his artistic production occurred between 1949 and 1984, most of which consists of oils on canvas and masonite as well as sculptures in onyx and sandstone. In his early career he worked in Paris with Victor Brauner and sculptor Constantini Brancusi. He had his first exhibition of paintings in 1954, which attracted the interest of art critics. From then to the end of his career he exhibited his work in Mexico, France, Italy, the United States and Brazil.

His important works include Toro mugiendo a la luna (1958), La lucha (1959), Los deshabitados, los hombres huecos, El sol es una flor (1967-1968), Año I Luna (1969), Alfar de sueños, Habitantes de amaneceres, Bodas solares, Camino de soles and Poética lunar.

Recognitions for his work include the National Painting Prize in 1959, the José Clemente Orozco Prize (first place for painting and honorable mention in sculpture), the II Inter-American Biennial in Mexico in 1960, the Salón de la Pintura prize of the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana in 1966 and the Premio Nacional de Arte in 1984. He was a founding member of the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana. In 1971 Justino Fernández published a book about him called Pedro Coronel, pintor y escultor. The state of Zacatecas named him a favorite son (Hijo predilecto) in 1977.

Since his death, his work continues to be exhibited in various venues in Mexico. In 2005, the Museo de Arte Moderno had a retrospective of his work thirty years after his death, mostly of large scale oils. In 2009, there was an exhibition of his graphic work at the state government building of Tabasco in Villahermosa.