Celia Calderon

Celia Calderón was a Mexican artist best known for her engraving work but she was also noted for her oils and watercolors. She was a member of the Sociedad Mexicana de Grabadores, Taller de Gráfica Popular and the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana. She studied at the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas, where she became romantically involved with one of her professors, Julio Castellanos, who also influenced her artistic development. She also studied at the Escuela de las Artes del Libre, learning graphic art under Francisco Díaz de León. She received a scholarship from the British Council to study at the Slate School of Fine Art in London. She was invited by the Soviet government to travel to China and study at the Beijing Artists’ Center where she also exhibited her work. She taught at the Academy of San Carlos and other schools, influencing various generations of artists. She had her first individual exhibition in 1951, and during her lifetime, her work was presented in venues in Mexico, the United States, Canada, South America and various European countries. She won the Salón de Otoño of the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana in 1955. Her imagery mostly consisted of popular personages with her graphic work focusing on Mexican heroes. She committed suicide on October 9, 1969, shooting herself in the head at the Academy of San Carlos.