The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

Woman and Bird

1944

Rufino Tamayo

(Mexican, 1899–1991)
Mexico, 20th century
oil on canvas
Framed: 123.2 x 102.9 x 6.2 cm (48 1/2 x 40 1/2 x 2 7/16 in.); Unframed: 106.5 x 86 cm (41 15/16 x 33 7/8 in.)
Gift of Leonard C. Hanna Jr. 1950.583
© Tamayo Heirs / Mexico / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Location: 225 German Expressionism & Surrealism

Did You Know?

At the age of 17, while studying business management, Tamayo secretly studied drawing at night.

Description

Rufino Tamayo was born in Oaxaca, Mexico. After the death of his parents, who were Zapotec—Indigenous people of the Mexican state of Oaxaca—he moved to Mexico City to live with an aunt. In his art, he portrayed modern Mexican subjects through a mixture of international avant-garde styles and visual references to his own culture. In Zapotec culture, birds are considered intelligent, even wise creatures. Here, a woman looks up at a caged bird, her hands raised as if in amazement. Tamayo conceived of life and art as a universal heartbeat: “Art, like culture, is international. It’s the result of many parts to which we add our own tone.”
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 200 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 200 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 247 archive.org
  • Rufino Tamayo: Myth and Magic. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY (organizer) (May 18-August 19, 1979).
    20th Century Mexican Painting. Akron Art Museum, Akron, OH (organizer) (November 5-December 3, 1972).
    CMA: Works from the Contemporary Collection, July 1-mid-October, 1969
    Works from the Contemporary Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (July 1-October 15, 1969).
    Rufino Tamayo. Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, AZ (organizer) (March 1-31, 1968).
    Segunda Bienal Interamericana de México. Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes, Ciudad de México, Mexico (September 5-December 1, 1960).
  • {{cite web|title=Woman and Bird|url=false|author=Rufino Tamayo|year=1944|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1950.583