23

Alexander Canedo

1902-1978

Two Symbolic Portraits. Circa 1935

Graphite on Bristol board
Signed in lower left of portrait depicting Saint John; signed twice in lower right of portrait depicting Jesus Christ. Thumbnail sketch of Saint John is attached to verso.
Each 15 x 15 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm.)

  • Provenance: Private Collection, Arizona

    Alexander Cañedo was a Mexican-American artist who was part of the surrealism and magic realism art movements of the mid-20th century.

    Born in Mexico City as Alejandro de Cañedo, his father was a Mexican government official, and his mother was from the United States. In 1928, he began exhibiting in New York City galleries, signing his work with just his last name; eventually, he also Anglicized his first name as "Alexander" and dropped the "de".

    In 1932, Cañedo was invited to have a solo show of his symbolic pencil portraits at Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.'s newly opened Cheshire Gallery, located in the Chrysler Building. Critics at the time noted this artist's use of the Greeks for inspiration, but with a modern and distinctly original interpretation to classical themes. They praised his subtle modelling and satinlike luminosity, making his technique especially adaptable for portraits.

    In the 1935 catalog for his exhibition at Arthur U. Newton Galleries, Dr. Frank E. Washburn Freund wrote, "Cañedo uses his forms not only to convey corporeal beauty, but, as the best Greek masters did, to reveal inner states of mind. The way he uses accessories, such as draperies, in order to emphasize the expressiveness of the lines of his figures, proves him to be an accomplished master."
  • Condition:
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August 21, 2025 10:30 AM EDT
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