Felipe Castañeda

 Reflecting on his life experience, Felipe Castañeda still marvels at the mysteries of an artist's creation: "I still consider it a kind of miracle that forms almost identical to human beings are born out of a rock – and in some cases, the only thing lacking for them to be alive is for them to move of their own accord and speak."

He was born in 1933 in La Palma in the state of Michoacan, Mexico. The area in which Felipe grew up was rich with pre-Columbian artifacts, which influenced his work to exemplify both the traditional connection he has to Mexico as well help him connect to the modern Mexico of the present day. When he was a young man, Castañeda moved to Mexico City to participate in the country’s growing Contemporary art scene. In 1958, he entered La Esmeralda Painting and Sculpture Academy of the National Institute of Fine Arts. There, Felipe found his own distinctive approach to sculpture. In 1963 he finished his studies, and produced his first one-man show in 1970. Felipe worked along side many influential artists, among them Francisco Zuniga. Castañeda concentrates mostly on the female form; his depiction of female beauty can be seen in his subjects’ abstract, stylized version of sensuality. He currently lives and works in Morelia, Mexico.

Castañeda has exhibited and received widespread recognition throughout the world. His commissioned public sculptures are placed in a number of Mexican cities, as well as in Palm Springs, California. His work can be found in the permanent collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Museum of Art History in Cuidad Juarez, Mexico, among many others. Among the many honors that have been bestowed upon him include an award from UNICEF in 1980, from Israel in 1996, and from the International Academy of Modern Art in Rome in 1998.

Exhibitions

2002

Images of Latin America, with Vladimir Cora, Rufino Tamayo, Francisco Zuniga, and Francisco Ruiz, Eleonore Austerer Gallery, San Francisco, CA

Mexican Masters, with Rufino Tamayo, Austerer, Crider Gallery, Palm Springs, CA

2001

Portraits and Figure Survey, A Group Show with Joseph Solman, Francecs Genoves, Catherine Woskow, Maria Korusiewicz, Cheryl Barnett, and Jean-Jacque Blot, Eleonore Austerer Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2000

Anderson Art Gallery, Sunset Beach, CA (solo)

New Gallery Artist Exhibition, Eleonore Austerer Gallery, San Francisco, CA (solo)

1999

Alvarez Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA (solo)

Whitney Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA (solo)

Expo Feria 99, Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico

Los Castanedas, Galeria Lourdes Chumacero, Galeria Espacio, San Salvador, El Salvador

1998

Muestra Internacional de Escultura, Zacatecas, Mexico

Expo Feria 98, Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico

Mexican Cultural Institute, Los Angeles, CA (solo)

1997

Museo se la Isla de Cosumel, Mexico (solo)

Galeria Lourdes, Chumacero, Mexico (solo)

1996

Instituto Cultural Mexicano Israel-IbereoAmerica, Mexico (solo)

1995

Le Kae Galleries, Scottsdale, AZ (solo)

1994

B. Lewin Galleries, Palm Springs, CA (solo)