TGP: 1937 - 2017

Sergio Sanchez Santamaria

This linocut was created as a poster for the show "A Mexican Century: Prints from the Taller de Grafica Popular," curated by the New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe in 2017 to celebrate fifty years of Mexico's Taller de Grafica Popular art and artists. The artist printed the image as a small edition of 19 impression for collectors.

Shown in the image are the artists who founded and kept alive the drive of the TGP, from left to right: Bauhaus director and TGP director Hannes Meyer, one-armed Master Printer Jose Sanchez, Luis Arenal, Pablo O'Higgins, Leopoldo Mendez, Adolfo Mexiac, Alberto Beltran, and a mysterious "unknown" artist who partially represents Santamaria himself. Both Mexiac and Santamaria are presented as calaveras since, at the time of the poster's printing, they were both alive. Adolfo Mexiac died in October of 2019.

Sergio Sanchez Santamaria was born in Tlayacapan, Morelos, Mexico in 1976. He received his Fine Arts degree from the National School of Painting, Sculpture, and Engraving in the Esmeralda National Arts Centre in Mexico City. As an artist, he works primarily in the field of relief printmaking, and is one of the most renowned teachers of this medium. Santamaria is especially known for his exquisite bookplates.