Artist: Rufino Tamayo (Mexican, 1899 - 1991). Title: "Proyecto para Mural del Museo de Antropologia (Serpiente II)". Medium: Mixed media on paper. Date: Composed 1964. Dimensions: Overall size: 10 x 12 3/4 in. (254 x 324 mm). Lot Note(s): Signed lower right. Very light cream wove paper. Good condition: creasing in upper left corner; dimples in lower right edge; horizontal crease upper center visible only in the raking light; creasing lower right corner; no tears, holes, foxing, stains, etc.; composed with pastel, colored pencils, and pencil; presents very well. Provenance: Private collection, Vera Cruz, Mexico. Comment(s): A highly important preliminary drawing for Tamayo's mural for the National Anthropology Museum in Chapultepec Park, Mexico City (pictured as image #2). During the 1950s and 60s he became fascinated with the raw strength of the ancient Aztecs. In this respect, his murals from this period participate in an official valorization of the splendors of México-Tenochtitlán as the historical precedent for the contemporary nation-state. The Mexican government institutionalized this ideology in 1964 when it inaugurated the new Anthropology Museum. Tamayo executed a massive mural commemorating the epic battle between Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca for the lobby of this building ("Duality" [1964]), thereby securing his reputation as Mexico's most important public artist. Image © Tamayo Heirs/Mexico/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. [29801-2-8000]