Francisco Zúñiga Art
Known as one of the most important Expressionist artists to emerge from Latin America, Francisco Zúñiga is remembered for his monumental sculptures, figurative paintings and prints, nude drawings and portraits of Central America’s rural indigenous women.
Born in San José, Costa Rica, in 1912, Zúñiga’s exposure to artistic sculpture began at the age of 13, when he worked with his father, Manuel Maria Zúñiga, carving religious figures for local churches. Spurred by a growing interest in art, Zúñiga attended San José’s School of Fine Arts, where he became influenced by classical, renaissance figurative art. After winning several local awards for his prodigious talent, Zúñiga left San José for Mexico City in 1936.
In Mexico City, he attended La Esmeralda, the painting and sculpture school of the National Institute of Fine Arts. There, Zúñiga studied under sculptor Oliverio Martinez and painter Manuel Rodriguez Lozano.
In 1938, Zúñiga joined the faculty at La Esmeralda, where he taught sculpture and painting until 1970. Meanwhile, during the early 1940s, Zúñiga’s works began to attract the attention of art critics in the United States as well as important collectors. In 1941, the Arts Club of Chicago included him as part of their “Thirteen Mexican Artists” group show. The following year, Alfred Barr, director of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, purchased one of his stone sculptures for MoMA’s permanent collection. Then, in 1943, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art acquired two of Zúñiga’s drawings.
Throughout most of his career, Zúñiga limited his subject matter to indigenous peasant women. However, he experimented with working with a variety of materials for his sculptures — bronze, alabaster, plaster, marble and modeling clay — and sought new media to create his art. (He made his first lithograph at age 60.)
Zúñiga won countless accolades in his lifetime. He won international awards for 35 of his public sculptures along with other works, and in 1992, he won Mexico’s highest cultural award, the Premio Nacional de Calidad.
Even after his death in 1998, Zúñiga’s legacy lives on. His sculptures, drawings, paintings and prints are found in museums around the world, including MoMA and the Met in New York, the Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City, the Fogg Museum at Harvard University, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., the Middleheim Museum in Antwerp, Belgium and the Open-Air Museum in Hakone, Japan.
On 1stDibs, discover a range of Francisco Zúñiga prints, drawings and paintings.
1960s Francisco Zúñiga Art
Bronze
1960s Francisco Zúñiga Art
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Modern Francisco Zúñiga Art
Bronze
1970s Realist Francisco Zúñiga Art
Lithograph, Color
Late 20th Century Realist Francisco Zúñiga Art
Other Medium
1980s Francisco Zúñiga Art
Paper
1960s Expressionist Francisco Zúñiga Art
Pastel
1980s Abstract Expressionist Francisco Zúñiga Art
Pastel
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Francisco Zúñiga Art
Lithograph
1980s Expressionist Francisco Zúñiga Art
Lithograph
1980s Expressionist Francisco Zúñiga Art
Lithograph
1980s Expressionist Francisco Zúñiga Art
Lithograph
Late 20th Century Realist Francisco Zúñiga Art
Lithograph
1970s Expressionist Francisco Zúñiga Art
Lithograph
1980s Expressionist Francisco Zúñiga Art
Lithograph
1970s Abstract Expressionist Francisco Zúñiga Art
Charcoal, Chalk, Mixed Media
Late 20th Century Realist Francisco Zúñiga Art
Lithograph
Late 20th Century Realist Francisco Zúñiga Art
Lithograph
1980s Expressionist Francisco Zúñiga Art
Lithograph
1970s Expressionist Francisco Zúñiga Art
Lithograph
1960s Realist Francisco Zúñiga Art
Chalk, Pencil
1980s Expressionist Francisco Zúñiga Art
Lithograph
1970s Aesthetic Movement Francisco Zúñiga Art
Paper
1960s Expressionist Francisco Zúñiga Art
Ink, Paper
1970s Modern Francisco Zúñiga Art
Crayon
1980s Expressionist Francisco Zúñiga Art
Lithograph
1980s Expressionist Francisco Zúñiga Art
Lithograph
1980s Expressionist Francisco Zúñiga Art
Lithograph
1980s Expressionist Francisco Zúñiga Art
Lithograph
1980s Expressionist Francisco Zúñiga Art
Lithograph
1980s Francisco Zúñiga Art
Lithograph
1970s Contemporary Francisco Zúñiga Art
Lithograph, Paper
1980s Contemporary Francisco Zúñiga Art
Lithograph, Paper
1980s Contemporary Francisco Zúñiga Art
Lithograph, Paper
1980s Contemporary Francisco Zúñiga Art
Lithograph, Paper
Late 20th Century Realist Francisco Zúñiga Art
Lithograph
Late 20th Century Realist Francisco Zúñiga Art
Lithograph
Francisco Zúñiga art for sale on 1stDibs.
Artists Similar to Francisco Zúñiga
- 1stDibs ExpertJanuary 10, 2025Francisco Zúñiga is famous for being an artist. Known as one of the most important Expressionists to emerge from Latin America, he is remembered for his monumental sculptures, figurative paintings and prints, nude drawings and portraits of Central America’s rural Indigenous women. Even after his death in 1998, Zúñiga’s legacy lives on. His sculptures, drawings, paintings and prints are found in museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City, the Fogg Museum at Harvard University, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., the Middelheim Museum in Antwerp, Belgium, and the Open-Air Museum in Hakone, Japan. On 1stDibs, find a range of Francisco Zúñiga art.